Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legacy Continues
by HermioneFreakazoid
Summary: Jack Sparrow had twins. And he didn't know it for thirteen years. And what the heck is Blackbeard's Pistol? AUish.
1. The Legacy Continues

Chapter One: The Legacy Continues

Hope and Mae remained hidden behind cannons and mounds of net. They watched as a scruffy pirate hopped upon their ship and killed the men in his way. A few more pirates hopped on deck and joined their crewmate in the massacre. Mae grabbed her twin sister's hand and led her towards the captain's quarters in hope for shelter. The girls screamed as two of the ugliest pirates imaginable popped out of nowhere and seized their long brown hair. In a moment, a big black blanket was thrown on top of them, obscuring their vision.

* * *

Mae felt unusually heavy, dizzy, and confused. Her brown eyes snapped open when she heard her name being called.

"Mae," Hope said, shaking her sister awake. Mae sat up, abruptly remembering her dream.

"Ugh, I had that dream again," she said. Her sister shuddered at the thought of reliving her past in a nightmare.

"Well... Let's just get out of here." They looked at their surroundings. The rusty brig that they were locked in had thick iron bars wide enough for a small child to fit through. There were barrels, boxes, and bottles scattered about the wooden floors. Only a dim light illuminated the dampened walls by a slowly dying candle. Hope led the way through the wide-spread iron bars and quietly slipped through. Mae followed after her, almost stumbling over her skirt.

"Sorry," she mouthed when Hope looked over at the guard. Luckily, he was still fast asleep. They tip-toed through the crew's cabin and onto the deck where two beefy pirates were asleep at the wheel. Hope and Mae's dark skin seemed to glow in the moonlight as they stealthily made their way to the rowboats. Mae got in one and checked the supplies while Hope loosened the ropes. All of a sudden, one of the ropes snapped and a shrill cry interrupted the silence of the night. Mae held on to the hanging boat as their supplies were devoured by the sea.

"Hang on!" Hope cried, reaching out to her sister. Mae reached for Hope, stretching her arms as far as they could go. The remaining rope started to snap under all of the weight. The sisters' hands finally met and Hope pulled as hard as she could. A bead of sweat appeared on her forehead as Mae reached the edge of the ship. She was able to grab onto Hope with both hands and grip the sides with her feet. The rope finally snapped and the boat was swallowed by the sea, seconds after Mae had let go. She pulled herself up and tried to climb onto the side of the ship. After minutes of agony and strain, which felt like an eternity, Mae finally flopped on the deck, panting and crying. She hugged her sister and rested. Suddenly, they felt a pair of cold hands wrap around their necks and were pulled towards the captain's quarters. The two beefy pirates that were asleep at the wheel ripped the girls' dresses as they pushed them into the captain's room. Captain Wright was sitting in his chair with a bottle of rum. His hat was covering his face and his feet were perched casually on his table.

"Cap'n," one of the beefy pirates said. "The fugitives." Hope saw Wright smirk under his hat.

"Dismissed," he said lazily, waving his pudgy fingers which were decorated with ugly rings. The pirates let go of the girls with such force that Mae actually stumbled a few feet. Rubbing their arms and massaging their sore muscles, Hope and Mae walked across the room to the captain's table.

"You," he started slowly, "Have something that I wants…"

"We have nothing but the clothes on our backs!" Hope argued.

"No doubt exactly like yer mum, eh?" Wright said. He placed his hat on the table and shifted positions in his chair. "She was a feisty one, Annie was." Mae scowled at him.

"If you want our mother, then you better-"

"It's not she I want, lassie, so keep your trap shut," Wright warned. Hope clenched her fists. Suddenly, Wright was knocked off his chair and was being strangled by a pair of small, delicate hands.

"Mae, get off!" Hope cried, trying to pry her sister off of the struggling captain.

"Gomez!" Wright choked. One of the beefy pirates re-entered the room. Upon seeing the Captain's tight situation, he yelped and lifted the girl off him. She flailed around in result of being held against her will. Wright quickly got up and grabbed both girls by the neck. "I've had enough of this nonsense! Walk the plank, lassies!" he cried. Wright took Hope and Mae by the hair and led them outside and onto a rather narrow, unstable piece of wood. By this time, almost every man in Wright's crew had woken up and was on deck. Gomez bound their hands with rope and shunned them to the tip of the plank. A short, small pirate prodded Hope in the back with his sword.

"Come on, get on wiv it!" he said.

"Patience, Rusty," Wright said, pushing him aside. "So you two thought you could outwit the talented, gruesome crew of _The Relentless_?" He continued, patting the railing with his ugly stump of what he called a hand. Both girls wore a reproachful look.

"Dirty, good for nothing pieces of filth," he spat. The looks on the girls' faces turned from fear to loathing. Mae gently prodded Hope with her elbow and they both turned and faced the blue ocean. "You scrawny kids dunno what yer doing, you don't." Mae and Hope stood back to back on the narrow board, pressed together. They looked over the edged and shivered at the thought of jumping down.

"Great," Mae said sarcastically. "I just narrowly escaped from being eaten by the sea, and now I'm being fed to it." Hope gave a shaky laugh, which turned into a mix between snort and a sob. There were drunken cries and laughter from the men on board.

"Jump," Hope muttered in Mae's ear. "And make it look like an accident."

"What?!" Mae muttered back frantically.

"Jump," Hope repeated. She screamed in a rather fake way, falling off of the plank and landing with a splash in the water. Mae did the same, ignoring the cries and laughter of the crew. When both resurfaced, they stared at the ship as it floated away. They swam for a couple of minutes, trying to find some kind of flotation source. At last, they found the remains of the decimated rowboat and sat on the piece of driftwood.

"Are you crazy?!" Mae cried as she caught up to her sister. "We could have died, or- or been devoured by a shark!" she said.

"I have it," Hope said quickly, grinning at her sister.

"Are you insane-" Mae stopped her rant. "What?"

"I have it," Hope repeated. She lifted her soggy skirt and pulled out a pistol. "The Pistol of Blackbeard!" She breathed. Mae grinned, taking the pistol from her hands and gently turning it over in her own.

"You still have it?" she asked.

"That's what Wright was looking for," Hope said proudly, sitting up straight. Both girls lied down on the driftwood and didn't say a word, falling into a deep sleep.


	2. The Mysterious Pirate

**A/N: **Ahh, so you've gotten a taste of my newest story. Let me explain about this story. It is my baby. Don't flame, please. Just read and tell me if it's alright. I know it's unbelievable and so... weird. But it was so much fun to write this, because you see, I wrote it with my best friend and we had a blast. We are like Hope and Mae. Twins, and best friends forever(: I don't want a beta for this story because I like how it is and I like the effort that I put into it and I would like to keep it that way. It's complete, so keep the comments a-rollin' and every 5 comments gets 5 new chapters. So basically, you just need 15 comments to get the whole thing up. This is my fantasy! NO FLAMES. Constuctive criticism please. And, obviously, this has nothing to do with the 2nd or 3rd movie. But it SHOULD be the fourth movie. But altered, because of the Will and Liz situation... I'm kidding.

* * *

Chapter Two: The Mysterious Pirate

A scruffy pirate checked his surroundings and blinked up at the star-filled sky. He slowly made his way out of the jungle and onto the sandy beach. He glanced at the huge ship in the distance and started towards it. In his arms was a chest full of gold, silver, and riches beyond belief. He laughed as he trotted away from the jungle and began to slow his pace. Suddenly, out of nowhere a _thing_ swung from the closest tree and pushed the man face-first into the sand. The thing turned out to be a man and he now sat on the pirate's back.

"Sorry mate," said the man, who also happened to be a pirate. He took the chest and ran to his rowboat parked on the shore, leaving his victim with a face full of sand. When he reached his boat, he threw the chest in and pushed it out farther into the ocean until the water reached his knees. He hopped in and rowed out, humming to himself as he went towards his own ship, _The Black Pearl,_ which was a few miles away. In the moonlight, he was a tanned man and had long dreadlocks pushed away from his face by a red bandana. There were all sorts of beads and trinkets thrown into the look, and his face was unshaven and sunburned. He stopped humming and twisted his face into a quizzical look and glanced at his boots. Water was slowly seeping into the tiny rowboat, making it sink. He looked for the source of the water, and soon found a tiny hole lodged into the bottom. He ripped a part of his shirt off and plugged the cloth into the hole, making the water cease. By the time he had gone ten feet, the boat was a quarter filled with sea water. He rowed faster, praying that he would catch up to the _Pearl. _When he was five yards away, the boat was already drowning in the water. He was forced to take both the chest and himself and swim the remaining feet to the ship. He used a rope that his first mate had thrown down to him and climbed to the top, clumsily holding the chest under one arm.

"Gibbs," he grunted as he reached the top. "Take the bloody chest." The man, Gibbs, took the chest and offered a hand to help him up. The dreadlocked man looked at it with disgust. "Mate… I'm-" He was cut off by the 'huzzahs' of his crew, who came up from below deck.

"You got us the treasure!" said a particularly short pirate.

"O'course, Marty," the Captain said.

"We thought you was dead. You was gone for so long," another said hysterically, burying his weepy face in another pirate's shoulder.

"Ah, but Ragetti," the man replied, draping an arm around the pirate. "If I were dead, then how could I give you _this?_" He took out from his pocket a glass sphere with a gold circle in the middle of one side.

"A glass eye!" Ragetti exclaimed, rudely taking his wooden eye out of its socket and replacing it with the sphere from his Captain's hand.

"You're bloody welcome, mate," he said, clasping his shoulder. The crew clapped for their captain and a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder gave him a bottle of rum. "Thank you, Cotton," the Captain said. The parrot said something in French that he couldn't understand, but he nodded anyways, giving him a half smile.

"Can we open it, Cap'n?" another pirate asked, motioning to the chest.

"Go on, Pinny," the good man said, smiling at him. "Knock yourself out." The pirate, Pintel, shouted with joy. There was a shuffle of feet and cries of excitement as the first mate broke the lock on the chest and spilled the contents out. There were gold coins, pearl necklaces, rubies, diamonds, and sapphires being thrown around. Gibbs said something to the Captain, but it couldn't be heard over the noise of his crew. It sounded something like "Catch!" and sure enough, a huge ruby came his way. The pirate caught it easily and smiled at Gibbs, lifting the jewel in thanks. He made his way to the wheel of the ship and leaned on it, occasionally nodding or giving a bored whoop at his crew. He took big swigs of rum with the occasional hiccup and swayed with the boat. The rest of the night was like this, until his _very_drunk crew finally dozed off, scattered around the boat. In the early hours of the morning, Gibbs finally woke up and was staring out to the open water. It was foggy and gray, making it hard to see. Suddenly, he jumped and called out to the captain.

"There are two lassies out in the water!" he shouted. A few of his crewmates woke up, rubbing their heads and yawning. "Man- er- woman- er- girls overboard!" A few alert men jumped into the rowboats and rowed out to the girls, while other men just sat up, surprised and confused. Amongst the men in the rowboats, one of them was the Captain. He reached out to one of the girls and took her by the waist and pulled her into the boat. The other was pulled in by Gibbs. They were either unconscious or just sleeping. When they were brought on board the _Pearl,_ one woke up with a start, tucking something into her skirt.

"Who are you?" she said in a scared voice, scooting away from all of the men who were staring at her.

"It's okay," said the captain. "I come in peace." The girl raised her eyebrows and shook the other girl awake. She, too, awoke with a start and scooted away.

"Who are you?" they repeated.

"Me? I'm- Ana?" the Captain started, suddenly taking interest in one of the girls, who, in some way, looked like the other. One of them giggled.

"Your name is Ana?" The captain ignored her.

"You don't need to know my name right now. Just call me Captain. Now who are you?" The one that giggled sat up straight.

"My name is Mae, and this is my twin, Hope," she said, pointing a small finger at the both of them. The questions continued.

"What are you doing out here?" the Captain asked.

"It's a long story. We just turned thirteen, and out mother told us something… very interesting. Our mother's name is name is Ana Maria." Hope said. At this, the captain gasped opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Finally, he managed to say "Go on," ignoring the quizzical, scared, and even amused glances from his crew.

"Well, once we turned thirteen, our mother told us that our father was alive. Since we were kids, she had always told us that he died being a part of the British Royal Navy. Now, we learned the truth. He's alive. But we don't know where he is." The Captain smirked.

"That still doesn't answer my question," he said.

"Well," Mae said energetically. "We sneaked onto a trading ship as stowaways and these really big pirates captured us! We were taken aboard the crew of Captain Wright, who by the way, is _very _stubby," she continued her rant, ending with, "And then Hope told me that she nicked the pistol of-" Her voice was muffled by her sister's hand, which she quickly clamped over Mae's mouth. The whole crew of the _Pearl_ brushed it off, amazed that the little girl could talk so much. Finally, the Captain spoke.

"Who was your father?" he asked tentatively.

"Ooh, maybe you could help us find him!" Hope said excitedly. "His name was Jack… Jack…" Hope snapped her fingers, hoping that the name would come to her mind.

"Jack Sparrow?" the Captain finished for her with a dead serious face.

"Yeah, that's it. Jack Sparrow," Mae said. "Do you know him?" The Captain nodded slowly, turning away from the crew and the girls.

"Yeah, I know him," Captain Jack Sparrow said.


	3. The Fall of Jack

Chapter Three: The Fall of Jack

The girls squealed in excitement.

"You knew our father?!" they said.

"Aye," Jack said, turning away from the open sea and looking straight at the girls. "He's in…er… um… someplace," he finished somewhat lamely. He gave the girls a blinding toothy grin with his golden teeth and continued. "He used to be my mate." Hope stared at him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Captain… um… Jesse. Jesse Falcon, if you will," Jack said.

"Jesse Falcon?" Mae said, breaking into a grin.

"What is it wiv you and names, girl?!" Jack said, throwing his arms up in annoyance. Mae cowered back, scowling a little when the shock wore off.

"Gibbs," Jack said, motioning to his first mate. "Take 'em below deck, and give them something… normal… to wear," he finished, waving at their pathetic articles of clothing. Once the girls were below deck, Jack went back to the wheel.

"Cap'n!" Pintel called out. "Jesse Falcon?!" he said incredulously.

"I can't tell them who I really am!" Jack said nervously, maintaining the wheel. Pintel rolled his eyes and waved a hand at him, joining the rest of the crew in a game of dice. A few minutes later, Gibbs came back on deck with a disbelieving look on his face.

"Jack, why didn't you tell 'em?" he asked. Gibbs took hold of the wheel to stop Jack from being distracted.

"I can't tell 'em, Gibbs. Ana is looking for them." He decided to check the map for a place to go. "Set sail for Port Royal," he commanded, "and bring those lassies up here." Gibbs rolled his eyes. It was _exactly _like Jack to run away from his problems.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" he said, and went off to make sure that the crew was working. Jack went back to the wheel and nervously awaited the arrival of his daughters.

"Jesse!" Hope and Mae called out a few minutes later, wearing a pair of Jack's very old slacks, which were two sizes too big and held up by a leather belt. They kept on picking at their shirts, which were baggy, big, and made of thin, white cloth. Jack jumped and cleared his throat.

"Erm- 'ello, girls," he said. "Since you'll be joining us here on _The Black Pearl_, you've got to know how to handle these." Jack took three swords from behind his back and cocked an eyebrow at the two of them. They looked at him with unreadable expressions.

"You mean fence?" Hope said.

"Sure," Jack said slowly. He tossed them both a sword, although both landed on the floor. Giggling, the two girls bent down and picked up the thin weapons. "Okay. On the count of three, we start. One," They got ready. "Two," They bent their knees. "Three!" Hope and Mae lunged at Jack, their swords clashing with his making an ear-splitting sound. Jack held his sword at both ends, and the three blades locked. They were held in a tight position, until Jack thrust his sword forward, making the girls back away. He struck at Mae first, being the opposing challenger. She blocked all of his moves perfectly, until her back bumped into the railing of the ship. She tried to touché Jack, but he jumped out of the way. This time, they walked back across the deck, Mae now being the opposing rival. They stopped for a while.

"Not bad," Jack said, shrugging his shoulders. "You," he said, motioning for Hope.

"I have a name," she said, and then instantly jumped towards him. Their swords clashing and hair flying, Hope and Jack's fight was more intense than the previous one. Mae joined in a couple of minutes later, and the trio made their way onto the middle of the deck, shouting and yelling at the pirates in the way.

"Gangway!" Jack cried, trying to block two swords at once. Mae jumped upon barrels and crates, while Hope focused on getting him from the floor. Her twin hopped on one barrel and grabbed hold of a loose rope that was dangling by. Hope and her made eye contact and they nodded, their twin telepathy kicking in. Mae threw Hope her sword and swung from the rope, pushing Jack painfully into a wall. Hope threw both swords skillfully into the corners of his shirt, pinning him to the boat. They slapped high-fives and stood before Jack, grinning when they saw his face looking both shocked and amazed.

"That's a first," Jack panted, squinting up at them. Hope and Mae wore identical smug looks and immediately turned around and skipped off. Jack tried to take out the two swords that were pinning him to the boat, but they stayed in place. After the fourth try, he finally gave up and sat on the ground, unable to keep from smiling despite his loss to the two girls. "Gibbs!" he called. A few seconds later, Mr. Gibbs was at his side.

"Blimey, Jack. What have those two done to you?" he asked, pulling the swords out of Jack's ripped shirt. He got up and brushed off his clothing, still smiling. "You know you'll have to tell them soon," Gibbs said.

"Not now," he replied, looking around.

"Why? They'll find out sooner or later!" Gibbs said. Jack avoided his glare and walked back to the table where the map was laid out. He plopped in a chair and traced his route with a compass. Gibbs followed him, struggling to keep up. "Jack!" he cried.

"Gibbs!" Jack retorted. "I don't want them to know it's me! If you've lived for thirteen years, thinking your father was dead, would you like to find out that he's been alive?! Plus, it's too dangerous for them out in these waters!" Gibbs crossed his arms and smiled insolently.

"They pinned you to a wall, mate…" Jack bit his lip.

"I was going _easy _on them," he said.

"Jack. Tell me the truth," Gibbs encouraged gently. Jack inhaled, taking out his pistol and aiming it at Gibbs.

"Bloody questions," he muttered. Gibbs stood perfectly still, which annoyed Jack tremendously, until he had the chance to calm down. "Fine," Jack said, stuffing his pistol back into its original place. "Maybe… if they knew about me, and I mean the Jack me, they would make me meet Ana Maria. She would kill me..." His fluent hands basically did all the talking for him- he didn't need to speak for Gibbs to understand. "So, please... Don't do anything stupid…" Jack said, placing his hands into a praying position. Gibbs scrunched up his face, and finally nodded, now examining the map. By this time, the sun had disappeared under the horizon and Jack had returned to his post by the wheel.

* * *

A stunningly beautiful woman dashed out of the dilapidated tavern, tears cascading down her dark cheeks. She shoved past everyone in her way and cried her way over to the dock, where she made her way up the gangplank and onto the ship. She kicked the gangplank off of the sea vessel without waiting for her other crewmembers to come onboard.

"Set sail!" she choked between tears, accordingly taking her place at the wheel.

"Captain," One of her mates called out to her as it started to pour. "Where to?" She looked at him sharply, before returning her gaze to the ocean.

"Search the whole Spanish Main if you got to! We're going to find them!" was her reply. "We're going to find my daughters."


	4. Port Royal

Chapter Four: Port Royal

_The Black Pearl _anchored far away from the dock in Port Royal. Jack Sparrow stepped into a rowboat with the two girls. They sat politely with their hands folded into their laps, like perfect little women. This was slightly uncanny for Jack, since he had not been in the presence of a proper young woman in quite some time. There was Ana Maria; she was a pirate wench, who did what she wanted. Then there was Elizabeth, who was just as adventurous as Jack himself. He squirmed in his seat, continuing to row uncomfortably.

"Where are we going?" Mae asked.

"To… get… supplies. Wonderful young blacksmith! A Eunuch, poor chap…" Jack answered gesturing to the little island with his thumb. Mae and Hope stared at him with blank expressions.

"What's a eunuch?" they piped innocently.

"Maybe when your older, lassies."

Jack gave them an awkward smile and continued rowing, averting his eyes from the prying girls. Once they reached the shores of Port Royal, he politely helped them out and led them into the town. Since Mae and Hope weren't in their respectable clothing, they were hard to keep from being seen. Jack, apparently, had noticed this and stole some hats off of an unsuspecting shop owner and placed them on his daughters' heads. "There," he said proudly. "Now, you two fit in." The hats were large, but people had finally stopped staring. Hope lifted her hat up and looked at Jack.

"What? You can't even see in these things!" she cried.

"Exactly!" he replied, smiling at them. The two folded their arms and continued to follow Jack. The trio made their way to the Armory with Jack making sure that no one was looking.

"Are we sneaking around?" Mae asked cutely and mockingly, as Jack ducked behind a barrel and the girls followed. Jack ignored them, muttering under his breath about some 'bloody questions'. "Jesse!" Mae repeated. "Are we sneak-"

"YES, you ungrateful little- I mean… yes, dear child, in fact we are." Jack said. They continued down an empty street and into the Blacksmith's shop, which Jack now noticed was bearing the name "W. Turner" instead of "J. Brown". Will was working on a new piece when they went into the shop, skillfully creating a new sword. He hadn't noticed that Jack or the two girls had come in. Jack cleared his throat, putting his hands behind his back and rocking on his feet. Will didn't turn around.

"Ahem, AHEM!" Jack repeated, now growing impatient.

"Will." No reply.

"Will." No reply.

"William." Still nothing.

"William!" Silence.

"WILLIAM BLOODY TURNER!" he screamed. When Will _finally _turned around, Jack was still rocking back and forth, now whistling. "Oh, hello, William," he said in a polite manner. Will smiled.

"Ja-"

"JESSE! Yes, it is me, Jesse Falcon," Jack said, giving Will signals with his eyebrows.

"Jesse- er it's so good to see you," Will said, giving Jack an odd look.

"Yes… Well, how is dear Elizabeth?" Jack asked.

"She's… good," Will replied.

"Ah," Jack said. "Well, we will be off soon, just came to pick up some new supplies. Maybe we could stop by ELIZABETH'S to just, you know, visit." The two grown men were giving each other signals with their eyebrows, and after a while, their faces began to look distorted.

"Um…" Hope said. "Maybe we should get going?" she suggested. Will and Jack came out of their eyebrow war and stared at the two.

"Yes," Will started. "We'll go and see Elizabeth first, shall we? I'm William Turner." He wrung both of the girls' hands and led them out into the street, where Jack and the twins followed him through a shortcut to Elizabeth Swann's mansion. Will politely knocked on the door and waited with his hands behind his back, scratching his leg with his foot while Jack picked off unknown items off of his coat. A pleasantly plump maid opened the door.

"Hello, Will," she said, giving him a warm smile. "Are you here to see Elizabeth?" she asked. Will nodded politely.

"Actually, I have some visitors for her to see," Will said, stepping aside and showing his party to the maid.

"Alright," she said, giving them another warm smile and motioning for them to come inside.

"Lovely shack," Jack muttered when he came in. The maid left them shortly afterward. Jack was looking at a chandelier, Will was standing politely, and the two girls were standing close together with blank faces. Jack noticed that they tended to do that a lot. Hope caught him staring at her, and she smiled, which gave Jack a fright because it vaguely looked like Ana Maria's own smile. He was holding onto a part of a chandelier, and it broke off when he jumped. Hope giggled, and to save him from embarrassment, she turned away. He quickly stuffed the broken part in an umbrella holder and just in time, Elizabeth Swann came descending down the stairs, sporting a bamboo hat, which highly contradicted her regal outfit.

"I see you really enjoyed our last trip," Jack pointed out. With a puzzled look, Elizabeth felt her head and blushed, embarrassed at her headwear. She discreetly removed it and handed it to her maid.

"Elizabeth!" Will exclaimed excitedly, grinning. Jack stood beside him.

"Watch it, mate, your drooling," he whispered. Will gave him a quick glare and returned to gazing at Elizabeth.

"Will! Ja-" she started.

"Jesse! That is right, it is me, Jesse Falcon," Jack said, doing his creepy eyebrow thing.

"Of course," Elizabeth replied, playing along. "Jesse…" She made her way down to them, and jumped when she saw the girls. "And who are you?" she said, giving them a smile. The twins took off their hats and curtsied for Elizabeth.

"I'm Hope Sparrow, and this is my twin, Mae Sparrow," Hope said. Elizabeth and Will's eyes widened at the sound of their names, and they immediately glanced at Jack, who was gesturing for them to keep quiet by using his hands to slit his neck.

"By George!" Elizabeth said, putting her hand to her chest. "You two are filthy! Let me get my maids to wash you up!" she said, and pushed them towards the stairs, despite their protests.

"But-" they cried, turning around to try and see what Jack would say.

"No!" Elizabeth said. "I insist!" When they got a glimpse of Jack, he would just smile at them, urging them to follow Elizabeth. Once they heard the door slam shut, Will rounded on Jack.

"Jesse Falcon?!" he said, just as Pintel and Gibbs had.

"Not the most original thing, but I was short on time," Jack said lazily.

"Okay," Will said, taking in a breath. "Let's just start from the beginning." he said. Elizabeth had come down the stairs.

"Yes, who are they?" She said in the same tone as Will.

"My daughters!" Jack said proudly. Seeing their surprised faces, he quickly continued.

"Ana Maria is their mother, they ran away from home, blah, blah, but I need… I need…" He couldn't say it. Jack Sparrow never needed help, especially if it had to do with two children. Elizabeth smirked.

"Jack Sparrow needs… _assistance," _She said, choosing her words wisely. Jack nodded.

"Uh-huh… Assistance," he repeated. "You're a cheeky young lady, aren't you, _Miss Swann_?" Jack said.

"Alright," Will said. "You have fun, Jack!" Elizabeth nudged Will. "Fine, we'll help." Jack clasped his hands together.

"Splendid!"

* * *

Ana Maria and her crew climbed back on board, and yet again, kicked the gangplank off of the ship before the remaining crew members got to climb up, too. Honestly, the crew was beginning to thin out!

"Another island off of the list!" Ana Maria shouted. There were still no signs of her daughters.


	5. Plans

Chapter Five: Plans

Hope and Mae exited Elizabeth's clean and roomy bedroom, each dressed in one of Elizabeth's old gowns and holding a sack of Jack's old clothes. Mae was in a rich red dress with a scoop neck and Hope was in a similar dress, except she was in gold. They were walking along the hallway, when Hope suddenly mentioned something about "Jesse".

"Don't you think it's weird that whenever his friends greet him, he always introduces himself as... well... Jesse? Isn't it like they're going to say something else?" she asked.

"What do you mean? Nothing seems wrong with that to me," Mae said. Hope glared at her. "Okay, okay," Mae replied. "So, maybe I'm a bit out of it, but I'm very observant." Hope nodded as they walked down the stairs.

"Then... never mind I said that," she said. When the duo reached the bottom step, they were greeted by none other than "Jesse" himself.

"Girls!" he said energetically, wrapping an arm around their shoulders. "Look how _lovely _you two look!" Will rolled his eyes, and Elizabeth smiled.

"You two look wonderful!" she said. They curtsied respectfully at everyone.

"Well, girls, looks like there'll be a change of plans! Miss Swann and dear William will be joining us aboard _The Black Pearl," _Jack said. There was an awkward silence after this, while Jack looked around the room with his hands up in the air like he was presenting something. Will coughed.

"Alright, let's go," he said. After an hour, which Elizabeth spent packing her belongings, they headed to the beach where Jack's rowboat was parked. Will and Jack rowed while Elizabeth, Mae, and Hope sat on the other side. When they reached the ship, they climbed on board and were greeted by Jack's crew.

"Will! Elizabeth!" Gibbs greeted when they arrived.

"Mr. Gibbs!" they replied, giving a polite nod, or in Elizabeth's case, giving the man a big hug.

"Set sail!" Jack said immediately, returning to his usual post by the wheel. The girls followed, tugging at their dresses, which were uncomfortable to wear on a ship. Jack tossed Mae a spyglass. "Keep a weather eye," he said, giving them a sly wink.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Then they left, taking turns watching the horizon by the railings of the ship.

"Faster, gents!" Jack called out to his crew.

"Do we have a heading, Cap?" Pintel asked. The Captain was silent for a while, and then he called for Gibbs. When the first mate came over, Jack whispered something in his ear. Gibbs nodded and went over to every crew member and passed on the message. Once the word spread, the crew members went straight to work. Some lifted the anchor while others swabbed the deck or tended to the sails. Will was sitting on a barrel near Jack, polishing his sword with a cloth and Elizabeth was examining one of Jack's maps. Since the girls were busy all the way on the other side of the ship, Jack, Will, and Elizabeth started to talk about Jack's plan.

"What exactly _is_ your plan, Jack?" Will asked more harshly than he intended, taking his eyes off of his dirty sword and looking at the Captain. When he didn't answer, Elizabeth gave a glare at Will and tried herself.

"Jack," she said gently, "What are you planning to do with these girls?" This time, the dreadlocked man turned around. He inhaled dramatically, like he was going to say something very long, and then,

"I have no idea," he said simply. Will rolled his eyes.

"That's promising…" he muttered, receiving a dark look from Elizabeth.

"Well, what did you call us on this ship for?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"To help me with these things you call children! My… daughters…" Jack whispered. Will stopped polishing his sword.

"How do you know that they are really your children? Maybe they just bear the same surname as you," he said. Jack looked around, and then lowered his voice.

"Their mother is Ana Maria." Will and Elizabeth gasped. "Aye, I know, and look at little Hope… she has my nose…" Jack said proudly, his eyes uncannily softening and a glazed look overcoming his handsome face. "And then little Mae! She has looks like Ana all the way… wiv 'er little round face…" He sighed dramatically once more. Elizabeth and Will exchanged confused glances. They had never seen Jack like this, and it wasn't… natural. Elizabeth handed Jack his map back.

"Aw, Jack here's a mommy!" Will teased. Elizabeth slapped his knee mockingly.

"Okay, how about I look after them while we're out at sea and Will helps you out with the ship?" she offered.

"Says who?!" Will said, appalled. They ignored him.

"That'd be wonderful," Jack said, smiling. Will shook his head.

"So, where are you planning on taking them?" the blacksmith asked, continuing to polish his sword.

"Back home, of course. Tortuga, to leave them with Ana Maria. The girl would kill me if I left 'em out at sea!" Suddenly, Elizabeth looked up and Will dropped his sword.

"You're taking them to Tortuga?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.

Jack nodded his head. "Didn't you hear what I said? Ana. Maria. Would. Kill. Me." Jack said, directing his two index fingers at himself.

"But… It's Tortuga… definitely not a place for two growing girls!"

"Oh, loosen up, Elizabeth! It'll be good for them!" joked Will.

Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed, but she and Will said nothing else on the matter. Everyone continued doing their work, and soon the sun had slipped farther beneath the horizon, making the sky an orange-pinkish color. Jack decided to check on the girls, and left Will in charge of the wheel. He walked to the bow of the ship, where Hope and Mae were still studying the sky with his spyglass.

"…Yeah, looks like it…" He heard them say.

"Girls," he said. They jumped, and turned around.

"Oh, Jesse, it's you," Hope said.

"Aye. Now, girls, I want you both to go to bed. It's getting late." He said. Sure enough, the sun had completely disappeared, and now the sky was dark and star strewn.

"Okay," they said, slipping off the boxes that they sat on.

"But let us just warn you," Mae said.

"The apocalypse is coming." Mae kicked her sister discreetly. "I mean, there's a storm coming," Hope said. They soon disappeared below deck as Jack stared out at the horizon. Wind was picking up and in the distance, there was a rumble of thunder. Jack squinted his eyes against the dark light, and then he saw a massive rain cloud coming his way. His eyes widened.

"Oh, bugger."

* * *

"Quickly!" Ana Maria said to her crew as they exited their latest raided port. They came back with stolen goods, but it was only necessary for their trip. Once again, after two dozen crew members climbed on board, Ana Maria climbed in herself and chucked the gangplank off the ship.

"Set sail!" she said again. She walked into her cabin, the captain's quarters, and angrily plopped down in her chair. She took a dagger from her desk and threw it at the map that was hanging on a wall. It landed right at its target, a little port in the Caribbean, where she didn't find her daughters, just like every other dagger-marked space. She looked at the daggers and broke into tears, for each of them represented her failure to save Hope and Mae.


	6. The Sparrow Song

**A/N: **I'm disappointed in you people... Here I am with a brand new, original story, and I get **one** review (THANK YOU, Jack's True Love). **ONE**. I was so excited to post it up so I could get some feedback[ Makes me sad. Anyway, for her benefit, I'm just gonna update the whole darn thing for Jack's True Love. Don't be a poo poo, tell me what you think, please! It takes like, one second! You can even say that I'm desperate for reviews, cause, well I am.

* * *

Chapter Six: The Sparrow Song

Jack watched the gloomy weather for a minute more, before yelling, "All hands on deck!" and rushing to the wheel, where he pushed Will aside making him fall to the floor.

"What the- Jack?" Will said.

"Hurry, boy! There's a storm coming!" he said frantically. "I want all hands on deck! Hurry! Incoming storm!" Jack yelled, looking into his spyglass at the unwanted clouds. The crew set to work, and Elizabeth barricaded herself below deck.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?" Will asked.

"I'm saving my butt! How about you?"

"Get ready, gents!" Jack called. The boat started to rock unsteadily with the waves. Suddenly, there was a lurch, and some of the crew fell over. Jack let go of the wheel and looked over the side of the boat. The waves were extremely choppy and violent. He was sure another was coming. "Wait for it! Hang onto something!" He clutched the railing tightly, and then he shouted as another wave forced the boat to give another lurch. This was the fiercest storm he had ever encountered! Rain started to pour, and lightning and thunder flashed and boomed around them, angry as ever. He returned to the wheel, while the crew struggled to keep the sails up. For half an hour, they were bustling around. Then their already bad luck got worse. Two of the sails tangled because of the gust of the wind.

"I'll fix it," Gibbs called out, heading to the mast.

"No," Will said. "I'll do it." Instead, Will had to shimmy up the mast and cut one sail off so that more sails wouldn't get caught in the mess. He placed a sword between his teeth and hugged the pillar, slowly climbing. He grimaced while he faced the wind and rain coming at him. He released the sails when he reached the top, Jack watching every move he made with the corners of his eyes. Will slowly made his descent. "ARGH!" He slipped a few feet down the mast.

Watch it, boy!" Jack shouted.

"Slippery!" Will yelled, trying to put on a content smile. The crew's eyes now left their duties and watched Will fearfully. He slowly climbed down… Another yell mixed in with a thunder clap from above. Will had completely fallen from the mast! His foot got tangled with the rigging, and he was now dangling from the ropes and chains. His foot slowly slipped. This was it… No one could climb up the mast quickly enough to help Will out- unless…

"Jack!" Will panted, seeing the Captain clinging to the mast beside him. Will had used all of his strength to keep himself from falling. This could be the end for him, if only Jack could reach him. He blinked against the downpour, struggling to keep focus. Jack reached for Will. With his arm extended, he grabbed on to the cloth of Will's pants. Will's foot suddenly slipped from the rigging's loose grasp and he plummeted down, down, down… Jack unsheathed his sword and cut off a rope, swinging from it and catching Will in the nick of time, just before he hit the ground. The crew gasped, and gathered around Will and Jack. He set Will down on the deck and waited for his response. Nothing. Almost everyone went back to their work. Jack made a mental note of docking their share of pillaged gold next time.

"Someone get Elizabeth!" a pirate shouted, and Pintel ran below deck to get the girl. The rain was still falling, and the thunder still rolled on, but the choppy waves and violent lurches had stopped, and the crew could finally rest. Elizabeth arrived a few minutes later, gasping when she saw Will in such a state. She felt around for a pulse while listening to the whole story.

"Found it," she said with a relieving smile as she held his limp wrist. They took Will down into an extra cabin, where he could rest while Elizabeth or the twins could tend to him when he woke up. Elizabeth followed Pintel and Ragetti to Will's extra cabin. Jack decided to check on his daughters, so he left Gibbs in charge of the wheel. He knocked on their cabin door. When they didn't answer, he opened to door and found himself in a small room with little light, a chair, and two low tables pushed together to make a bed. On top of that were two huddled figures, covered with a blanket and cowering behind a pillow.

"Girls?" Jack asked, surprised. There were low sobs and soft whimpers emitting from the blanket covered mound. "Girls?" Jack repeated, coming into the small room. It must have been only six feet high and five feet wide, including the two tables and a chair in the corner. A dying candle hung by the door, and Jack saw a rat scurry out the door. He stooped and came inside, sitting backwards on the chair in the corner. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"N-nothing," Mae answered, not looking up from the blanket. There was a clap of thunder from out side and a rumble of waves. The girls screamed. There was a slight _pitter patter _from the rain and occasional footsteps from above. Other than that, there was silence.

"Ah…" Jack said in realization. "Are you two scared of thunder?" There was a big sob from Hope. She looked up and nodded. Jack laughed lightly and shook his head. He stood up (which was hard) and gently told the girls to lie down. They did, and Jack tucked the blanket around them. He blew out the candle, making the room pitch black. He found his chair easily and sat down backwards in it with his arms propped up on the back.

"How 'bout I sing you a lullaby?" Jack said. There was a silence, but Jack sang anyways. "_Yo, ho, Yo, ho a Pirate's life for me_," he started. He sang a few verses, until he heard the deep breathing of the girls. From there, he continued his song in a hum that he knew would eventually put him to sleep. What he didn't know, was that one of the twins were still awake, ready to dream in the lovely monotone, until she heard Jack sing a verse that she had never heard before in all her life.

"_Yo, ho, yo, ho a pirates life for me!_

_Born on the sea by Annie and Me,_

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_

_Don't ever fear, we'll always be here, _

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_"

The song didn't end there. There were more strange lyrics.

"_Thirteen long years of living in tears,_

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_

_We're sorry we lie; we hope you don't cry,_

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_"

He ended his song in a hum, which eventually put Mae to sleep, though she remembered the whole song in her dreams.

Ana Maria grinned as she walked up the gangplank. She actually waited for the rest of her crew to get back on board, laughing and singing as she greeted them on deck. She was in a good mood; everyone knew this. She finally found evidence on where her daughters had went. She found a heading on _The Black Pearl_.


	7. Truth Revealed

Chapter Seven: Truth Revealed 

Jack snorted in his sleep. He awoke to a silent pitch black room. He remembered the events of the night before and got up, blindly making his way to the door of Hope and Mae's cabin and silently tip-toeing out. He walked to Elizabeth's cabin, where he found her asleep, and then to Will's cabin, where he found him sleeping, too. _'Must be early,' _Jack thought, walking back up on deck where Mr. Cotton and his parrot were tending to the wheel.

"Thank you, Cotton," Jack said, letting the man go below deck and get some sleep. The air was cold and foggy, much like the day Jack found the girls. It was amazing how long ago it seemed, even though it was only a few days before. When Gibbs had called out their arrival on the piece of driftwood, Jack almost told him to forget about it, but being the "good man" he was, he just _had_ to help them. He really had no care at all for them until they had said that Ana Maria was their mother. She'd kill him and blame him for their disappearance without proof or warning, so that's why Jack decided to take them back home. Seriously, they could be raiding some Spanish vessel right now. Before his mind could slip further into thoughts about pirating and pillaging, he heard shouts coming from across the deck. His crew had woken up and started working. Elizabeth came on deck and kept Jack company.

"Look," Elizabeth said, tapping Jack on the shoulder, "Your children." She pointed at the two girls who emerged from below deck. They gave him a smile and started to join the crew in a game of dice.

"Girls," Jack called. They looked up from the intense battle between Cotton and strangely, Cotton's parrot, and nodded as Jack motioned for them to come over. Hope and Mae headed for Jack. Suddenly, Hope tripped, falling flat on her face. Jack, Will, and Elizabeth ran over.

"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked, offering to help her up. Mae was laughing.

"Thanks miss," Hope said, using her sister's skirt to pull her up.

"What's that?" Jack asked, pointing to a black object on the ground. Hope quickly kicked the item to Mae, who picked it up and tucked it into her skirt.

"Give it to me," Jack said, holding his hand out. They didn't move. "Girls!" He cried impatiently. Mae slowly handed Jack a shiny black pistol. "What is this!" He asked angrily.

"A pistol," Hope answered guiltily, looking everywhere but at Jack. He turned it over in his hands.

"No daughter of mine is going to be holding a pistol…" he ranted. There was a gasp from the girls, and Jack stopped trying to stuff the pistol into his belt. "I mean… um…uh… oh, bugger," he said.

"I knew it!" Mae bellowed, advancing on Jack. "You're our father! _Born on the sea, by Annie and me… _The song! It fits! We were born out at sea... and Annie! She's our mum! Jesse! The only reason you knew Jack- I mean our father- is because you are him!" Mae approached Jack and slapped him. "Captain Jack Sparrow, you may be a good captain, but a good father, you are most certainly not," she said disapprovingly.

Hope looked at Jack. "You never told us! You knew!" she sobbed, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, girls, I couldn't- your mum would never let me-" Jack backed away.

"We _wanted _to find you, you know!" Hope squeaked, burying her face in her hands. Jack frowned.

"Coward," Mae muttered. Jack stood tall.

"You will not address your father in that tone, young lady." Mae dabbed her red eyes with her sleeve.

"Your right," she said solemnly. "I won't and I didn't… the _thing_ I addressed is not my father, nor anyone's father. He a lousy, filthy pirate." Mae spat on his shoe. Jack's eyes showed pain and regret.

"Listen, girls, I never intended on finding you in my whole life. When your mother had you, we made a mutual agreement that you two wouldn't be exposed to anything related to piracy! We didn't want to tell you!" he said.

"And you thought that the best way to do that was to tell us that our father died, serving in the British Royal Navy!" Hope barked, putting her hands on her hips.

"No it's not like that!" Jack pleaded, backing away. Mae pulled her sword out of its scabbard and placed the blade on Jack's neck.

"Please, don't!" Elizabeth said, stepping into the heated argument.

"Step away, Elizabeth!" Mae said.

"Yes, darlings, please don't," Jack mimicked. Mae replaced her sword.

"Mae. This is our father," Hope stated.

"Didn't you hear a word of what I just said? He's a good for nothing-"

"Pirate, yes, I know, but whether you like it or not, he's also our father. Mae, look at yourself. You're pointing a sword at your father. Are you ready to kill?"

Hope spat at Jack's feet before following Mae below deck. They traveled through the dark hallways, eventually entering their cabin. Mae grabbed the sack that held Jack's old clothes. She started to pull all of the contents out. "What are you doing?" Hope asked as she closed the door.

"Leaving," Mae answered, briefly glancing at her sister. "Care to come?" she asked.

"No!" Hope retorted, staring doubtfully at the sack.

"Come on," Mae said, changing into the raggedy clothes and placing the dress on the bed.

"Mae Maria Sparrow!" Hope yelled. "What are you thinking? We're surrounded by WATER!" Mae smirked.

"And how do you get across water? A boat," she said. Hope rolled her eyes.

"I still think this is a bad idea," she replied, changing out of her dress and slipping into Jack's comfortable clothing. They removed all contents from their skirts, which consisted of a thimble, a wooden flute, and two ribbons for their hair and tucked them into their new clothing. They stuffed Elizabeth's dresses with all the extra cloth they could find and then tossed a blanket over it. Mae blew out the candle and they mutely made their way to the very top deck, where Jack was at the wheel.

"Shh," Hope warned, pressing a finger to her lips. They dodged behind various items on deck and eventually made it into the galley.

"Take that side, I'll check over here," Hope ordered. She held her sack open and piled apples, potatoes, bread, and other items that they would need for their trip. Mae took the cloths and candles and put them into her own sack. When they exited the galley, Jack was still wide awake at the wheel, staring out blankly.

"It'll be hard to get past him," Mae pointed out when Jack jumped at the sound of a big wave lapping against the ship. Hope looked at her knowingly. "No!" Mae retorted, sticking her nose in the air.

"Please?" Hope begged. Her sister groaned and pulled out the tiny flute.

"Fine." She started playing a mesmerizing note on the wooden instrument, creating a slow monotone.

What the-?" Jack looked around and tried to find the source of the strange music. His eyes drooped, and he found himself yawning. Within minutes, his eyelids had taken over his brown pupils and he slumped over the wheel, slowly breathing in and out. Hope hugged her sister in thanks and tip-toed to the rowboats. She tossed her sack in and climbed inside, Mae hesitantly climbing in after her. They slowly lowered the boat into the water and rowed out, watching _The Pearl_ and their father gracefully sail away.

Ana Maria yelled at her crew.

"Faster! Faster, men!" she cried, walking along the deck and observing her hard working crew. "I want to find my daughters by the time it's dawn tomorrow!" she ordered.

"Jack Sparrow, you are SO dead!"


	8. Ana Maria

Chapter Eight: Ana Maria

Ana Maria and her crew cheered as the black outline of a ship came into view.

"Billy, get the grappling irons," she ordered. A teenage boy disappeared below deck. A few minutes later, he reemerged, carrying a few grappling irons in his arms. "Thank you, Billy," Ana Maria said, taking the irons from the boy and setting them down on a table. She walked over to the railing and used a spyglass to check who was on deck and to devise a plan. There wasn't a soul on deck, save Jack Sparrow, who was asleep at the wheel. Ana Maria pocketed her spyglass and got a piece of parchment and a quill. She called over a few of her closest crewmates and told them to gather round. "We'll climb aboard here," she said, drawing a circle around an area of her own sketch of Jack's ship. "And I'll corner the Captain." She circled a stick figure of Jack. "All set?" Ana Maria asked.

"Aye!" Her crew answered, and they craftily made their way onto Jack's ship. Using the irons to hook the two ships together, they placed gangplanks silently over the gap between _The Pearl _and _The Sapphire._ Ana Maria's crewdodged the moonlight and hid in the shadows, making their way towards Captain Jack. They surrounded the sleeping captain and left their captain to face the one and only Jack. She put him in a headlock and withdrew her blade, placing it upon his neck. Jack awoke abruptly, snorting and yelping.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Jack Sparrow, I demand to know where my daughters are," Ana Maria demanded. The man relaxed.

"Oh, it's you, darling," he said. He freed himself of Ana's grip, which wasn't hard since Jack was a whole five inches taller than her. He leaned against the wheel coolly, crossing his feet and looking quite at ease.

"Where are they, you stupid, annoying twit?" Ana repeated demandingly, taking a threatening step towards Jack.

"How about we mull this over breakfast, aye?" Jack proposed. Ana looked at him for a moment, and then stiffly nodded, pushing her way through her crew and heading towards Jack's quarters. "Alright then," Jack said, surprised. He was expecting her to continue with her angry state. When he entered his cabin he found Ana Maria admiring his many treasures. She was looking at a particularly classy ring with awe. Jack leaned on the table.

"I got that especially for you," he said. Ana Maria looked at him and smiled- actually _smiling_ athim. Again, Jack was taken aback.

"Thank you," she said, nodding curtly and tucking the ring into her pocket. Jack was feeling particularly polite.

"Have a seat," he said, pulling out a chair for her. Ana Maria made no comment and had no expression as she took the chair. Jack pulled up another one and sat beside Ana Maria. "So how are things, darling?" he asked.

"Well, let's see," Ana Maria started. "You left us after the girl's were born, my tavern burned down, my daughters ran away, my fiancé left me for that Giselle character you dated, and I got to see you again," she finished sarcastically. Jack wasn't listening to a word she was saying, but instead was transfixed on her astonishing face.

"Wonderful!" he declared. "Me? I've been good. I found the treasure of Anne Bonny, picked up more crewmembers, and found me daughters." Jack smiled and stood up. His face contorted into a curious expression. "Ana," he said, circling her. "Something has changed," he continued, eyeing her with his hands behind his back. She remained seated, in a rather lady-like position with her nose in the air. Her eyes followed Jack. "Is it your hair?" he asked. She shook her head. Jack mock thought. "Clothes?" She shook her head. "Then what is it?" Ana stood up.

"I want to know where my daughters are, Sparrow, I've waited long enough," she said.

"Speaking of daughters, your parenting skills aren't quite sharp, miss," Jack interjected. He took the black pistol out of his belt. "They were carrying _this,"_ he said.

"Wright!" Ana exclaimed, recognizing the pistol at once.

"Wrong…?" Jack asked, confused.

"No, Wright! That's Paul Wright's pistol!" the woman said.

"This thing?" Jack asked, examining it more closely.

"Yeah, I stole it from him ages ago." she stated, watching Jack turn it over in his hands. "He was my first captain. Legend has it that this very pistol brings great power to its user. How did you get it?" she asked.

"I told you," Jack said, fingering the pistol. "Your daughters had it." He lazily pointed at Ana.

"Well, can I have it back?" Ana asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

"No!" Jack said defensively. Ana scowled, trying a different approach.

"Please?" she said, inching closer to Jack. He looked at her from the corners of his eyes. His mustache twitched.

"No!" he repeated, cradling the pistol.

"Come on, Jack. Give it to me… I won't do anything to it. I just want to see it," Ana said, snaking an arm around his waist.

"I said no, woman! NO is NO! N-O," Jack cried nervously. He scrambled to the back of the room, tripping over a stray book and falling into a bookcase. Ana had Jack cornered. He had no where to go. She made her move. Their faces were inches apart. Ana Maria thought her plan was working so well, until-

"Are you sure you want it back?" Jack said slowly, smirking. Ana Maria's stable grin suddenly turned into a frown, and she found herself unable to move at all. She and Jack were so close; surely they were going to kiss. This wasn't supposed to happen! Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Gibbs waltzed in, carrying a breakfast tray.

"Jack, I brought you some- whoa," he stopped mid-sentence, dropping the breakfast tray and turning around. "Ahem- sorry, Cap," he said, laughing in between words. Ana and Jack jumped apart.

"Thanks- erm- Gibbs," Jack said, covering his reddened face with a hand.

"Sorry Cap. Let me clean this up," Gibbs said, pointing to the ruined breakfast platter. "And tea for you, Miss- er- Sparrow?" he finished with a laugh.

"It's Ana Maria," the woman corrected with her teeth gritted.

"Sorry, Miss," Gibbs took the fallen tray and exited the room, giving a sly wink at Jack. In the background, snickers were heard. There was a knock at the door. Jack cleared his throat.

"Come in," he said. Will and Elizabeth came in wearing identical grins.

"Hello, Ana Maria," they greeted.

"Hello," she said back.

"I can't believe you two almost kissed," Will said without thinking.

"Will they've had children," Elizabeth pointed out.

"Shut it," Jack and Ana said in unison.

"Look, Will, they even think alike!" Elizabeth joked.

"How about we go see your daughters now, Ana Maria?" Jack asked.

"Aye," she answered, and they both shot out of the room like a cannon. Ana Maria followed Jack below deck and through the dark hallways. When they came upon the girls' room, Ana entered while Jack waited outside. Within minutes, there was a scream.

"Jack, where are they?!" Ana Maria demanded, flinging the door open.

"They're not in there?" he asked frantically.

"No!" she answered. Jack rushed inside. _'Please be there, please be there, please be there!'_ There were two lumps on the "bed" with a blanket covering it. Jack placed his hand on the blanket and pulled. Lying on the tables were two of Elizabeth's old dresses, and inside, there were no girls.


	9. The Island

Chapter Nine: The Island

"Look!" Hope exclaimed, pointing at an island in the distance. It was hard to make out, since their only source of light was the moon.

"Yes! We're saved!" Mae said, punching her fists in the air. They rowed towards the island in their little rowboat, which was cramped with supplies. They parked their boat on the shore and removed their supplies and two swords they had found in the boat. They climbed out. It was so dark, that the only thing they could see was the black, never-ending ocean and dark outlines of what was on the island. Exhausted from constant rowing and fighting strong currents, the girls collapsed on the sand and rested, eventually falling asleep. When they woke up, the sun was high in the sky, already beating down on their faces and burning the sand. Mae popped an eye open.

"Uh… Hope?" she asked timidly.

"What?" Hope asked. Mae sat up straight and tapped her sister on the shoulder. Hope opened her eyes. Scattered around them were a gang of crabs, snapping their claws and scuttling around the hot sand. They were quiet for a moment.

"Oh bugger," Hope said. Mae nodded. The two sister's eyes locked.

"AHH!" They ran, heading towards the now visible forest. They ran through thickets of branches and leaves, their feet screaming in pain. After a long run, they finally stopped. They were breathless and sweaty, bending over and trying to catch their breath.

"Wait…" Hope said. "Do you hear that?" The two sat still and held their breath. In the distance was the sound of running water… Mae pushed back a branch that was blocking their view. The girls gasped. There was a beautiful spring with rocks, plants, animals, and probably food surrounding it. It was complete with a waterfall, maybe about 5 feet taller than the girls. They stood behind the branch, shocked and unmoving. Then they jumped into the cool water, splashing about. They spent hours in the wonderful spring, bathing and drinking. They decided to camp out there until they had to leave due to the sudden swarm of parasites.

"That was amazing!" Mae exclaimed as they treaded back to the beach. Hope nodded in agreement. The girls were wet and cool, their thirsts quenched and stomachs full. Soon, their dresses began to dry, and their faces began to get sunburned from their walk. Their feet still ached and they were being eaten alive by more parasites and bugs. When they finally reached the white sand on the island, they were parched and hungry. The crabs had long disappeared, but so was something else… Their boat had drifted out to sea! In the distance, they saw their little wooden boat float around in the Caribbean waters. Hope turned on Mae.

"What do we do now?!" she cried. Mae shook her head, her lips shut tight. Hope gripped her hair and spun around. "This… this is all you're fault!" she cried.

"No it isn't!" Mae retorted, appalled. Her sister ignored her.

"You're the one who made up that stupid plan to run away!" she yelled, advancing on Mae. She backed away, uttering protests, though she couldn't think of any. She tripped over something and fell on the white hot sand with a thud. It was the cutlasses! Hope flourished one in the air, almost cutting off the tip of Mae's nose.

"S-stay back!" she stammered. With her quick reflexes, Mae grabbed the other one before Hope knew what was happening.

"Touché, ma soeur," she said. She smirked and lunged at Hope. Their swords clanged and glinted in the hot Caribbean sun. _Clank! Clink! Clank!_ Hope scrambled around, trying to block Mae's skillful blows. Mae hit her sword hard, and this blow sent Hope falling into the sand. She spit out sand, wiping saliva from her mouth.

"You little wench!" she cried. Mae shrugged proudly, a smirk still playing on her lips.

"I _am _the daughter of Captain Jack Sparrow," she replied.

"So am I!" Hope lunged at Mae, and they went back down the beach. Fighting quickly and skillfully, the girls made their way through the hot, thick forest. Along the way, they hid behind trees and dodged each other through bushes. They eventually came to the spring. Mae swung her sword at Hope's, and it fell into the water with a splash. Hope dove in after it, Mae at her heels. They fought in the water, neither of them pausing to take a breath.

"ARGH!" Hope cried when Mae slashed her shoulder. She shrugged arrogantly. Hope balled her fist, and then used her sword to make her sister's sword fly out of her hands. Mae caught one of Hope's powerful overhead slashes, catching the blade between her hands. She dodged another blow and searched through the water for her own sword. _'Where is it?!' _she wondered. Aha! There it was! But before Mae could grab the sword, Hope seized it and used both swords to hack Mae over the head. Mae ducked in the water, but by the time she resurfaced, Hope had cornered her. She plunged both swords on both sides of Mae's neck… but yet she was not dead. Hope and Mae stood in the water, staying incredibly still. The two blades of the swords grazed Mae's neck. Hope's hands shook. There was Mae, at her feet. She could kill her. Mae shut her eyes, waiting for the end. But it never came. Hope squinted up at the sun and placed both swords back at her side. She flipped her sister's sword so that Mae could grab the hilt.

"Keep it," she said. "We'll need it." Mae cautiously took the cutlass out of her twin's hands. Hope turned and walked back through the forest, Mae following in her wake. For the rest of the afternoon, they didn't talk to each other, unless one found something worth seeing. By the end of the day, they had built a shelter up in the trees, away from the crabs and other creatures. Mae had started a fire, and by the end of the day, they had become accustomed to living on the island. The next day, Mae woke up in their shelter in the tree. There were shouts being yelled down below.

"There should be a spring over there!" A beefy pirate yelled at his friend.

"Wright!" Mae whispered frantically. "Hope, wake up!" she said, gently rocking here sister awake.

"Mmm, wheee, Jack ate a monkey," she said groggily.

"Sh!" Mae said. "Look!" Hope looked over the side of their bed from up in the trees. The two pirates were wandering around the forest, apparently lost.

"Where are we goin', Smith?" One, Gomez, shouted.

"I dunno! You're the one who led us 'ere!" Smith cried.

"Well, keep moving!" Hope and Mae remained frozen on their bed. How had Wright and his wretched crew found them? Hope and Mae nodded to each other. They had to get out of here. They descended each branch slowly, being as quiet as they could be. Suddenly, the branch Mae stepped on snapped, and she fell through the trees. Luckily, another branch caught her before she hit the ground.

"What was that?" Smith's scratchy voice echoed through the trees. They searched around.

"Men!" Came the voice of Wright himself.

"Cap'n, we just heard something," Gomez said. Mae kept still, praying that she wouldn't fall. The Captain and the two pirates looked around. They shrugged when they didn't find anything, and started to walk away.

"Ouch!" Whipping around, they saw a Sparrow sitting on the floor, rubbing her bum.


	10. Her

Chapter Ten: Her

"Jack, you scoundrel, you lost my daughters!" Ana Maria cried.

"I- I didn't mean to!" Jack replied. Ana bawled, hiding her face in her hands. Jack took her hand and led her to the main deck. "Hoist the sails!" Jack cried.

"Aye!" the crew answered, and they left their games and got to work. Before Jack and Ana entered the Captain's quarters, Jack peeked inside. Elizabeth and Will had left; therefore it was safe to go in.

"Jack!" Ana Maria sobbed uncontrollably. "They're gone!" She plopped in a chair and wept. Jack was put in a rather awkward situation. He sat down in a chair and tried to comfort her by patting her back. She slapped his hands away, and continued to cry.

"Fine!" Jack muttered, standing up and leaving Ana Maria in his room. He walked the deck, hoping that there might be a sign of the girls, but no luck. He had figured that they had stolen one of his longboats, since they were short one, but where were they now? "Gibbs!" Jack called. His first mate ran to his side once again. "Head to _her_," heordered.

"_Her_, sir?" Gibbs asked.

"_Her…_" Jack widened his eyes.

"Aye, her…" his first mate said.

"Get going!" Jack yelled. Frustrated and annoyed, Jack returned to his cabin. Ana Maria was sitting puffy-eyed and sobbing, though considerably less, on Jack's bed. "'Ello, love." Jack greeted, taking a seat at his desk and tracing routes on his map.

"Any sign of them?" Ana Maria asked.

"No, but I know they stole my longboat, doll, you'll have to punish them for that," he answered, not looking up from his maps. It soon fell late into night, and Ana Maria had fallen asleep. Jack tried to drown out the sound of her snores. Giving up, he went back above deck and waited for morning.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" Jack waltzed into the room, making sun filter into the cabin. Ana Maria groaned and turned over. "Ana banana!" Jack called, whipping the sheets off of the female pirate and shaking her awake.

"Go away!" she protested slapping his fingers away.

"Come on, we're going to arrive at _her_ place in a little bit," he said.

"Who?" Ana asked, squinting into the daylight.

"_Her,_" Jack said. Ana's mouth formed a confused 'o' and she got out of bed, flattening her clothes and putting her hat on. _The Black Pearl_ and _The Sapphire _split the blue ocean and left a trail of white behind them as they caught the warm winds that carried them to their destination. Jack, who was checking his maps, looked behind him and rolled his eyes at the ship. Its sails were bright blue and the jolly roger presented a skull and heart cross bone. Jack and Ana's crew prepared to anchor, orders being bellowed and pirates scurrying across the deck. When they arrived, the men got into the long boats and started to row to her house. Ana led one boat, and Jack led the other, and together they led both crews through a river. With every yard they traveled, the trees got thicker and thicker, until they reached a small wooden shack deep within the mass of trees. Jack and Ana Maria knocked on the door and waited.

"Hold on there!" Came a voice. A woman with a mass of black hair and black-stained teeth opened the door to greet them. "Ahh, Jack!" Tia Dalma placed her hands on the pirate's shoulders. She had a thick Caribbean accent that seemed to flow out of her mouth. "And who's this? Mrs. Sparrow?" she said slyly.

"I'm Ana Maria," the pirate wench corrected.

"Jack, you sly dog," Tia teased. She winked at Jack. "Come in, you two." She led them into her shack, offering them a seat. "Would you like some drinks?" she asked. Before they could answer, Tia left them. Ana and Jack anxiously sat in the cluttered room.

"You didn't tell me that you were bringing us to a _witch doctor!"_ Ana exclaimed.

"What?" Jack said defensively. Tia Dalma returned, carrying two filthy mugs of ale.

"What have you been up to, Jack?" Tia asked, propping her head on her fist.

"Nothing special, really," he said, taking a large gulp from his mug and then swishing it around. Tia glanced at Ana Maria.

"And… how do you know Jack?" she asked. Ana smiled sourly at Tia.

"We've had the unfortunate likelihood of bumping into each other every now and then," she replied. Jack couldn't sense the rising tension. He took another swig from the filthy mug.

"Tia, let's cut to the chase," he said. "We're here because _her," _he pointed an accusing finger at Ana, "marauding daughters have run away and now she wants them back." He leaned back in his chair, avoiding the death glare coming from Ana.

"We're here," Ana said, "because we want our daughters to be found. They could be anywhere in the seven seas." Tia smirked.

"So it _is _Mrs. Sparrow?" she said. Ana glared. "Any who, if you want to know where your mini strumpets are then follow me." Jack got up, taking Ana's hand and following Tia into another room. She had so many things that hung from the ceiling and were scattered on the floor that they had to dodge her numerous possessions. "It's here somewhere," she muttered, rummaging through a box.

"Er- Tia, do you plan to perform your 'voodoo magic' for us, because we already know it won't work," Ana insulted.

"What?" Tia asked, turning around and placing her hands on her hips. "Are you calling me a liar?" Her lips were pursed together, making a straight line. Ana laughed.

"No, I'm just saying that magic isn't real," she said.

"Then how did you expect them pirates to become cursed, eh?" Tia argued. Jack was examining some of her treasures, and wasn't listening to their argument at all. Ana Maria was speechless. "How did you expect Davy Jones to live under the spell of the sea?" Tia was advancing on Ana like a cat stalking its prey. "And how, pray tell Mrs. Sparrow, did Jack get himself to escape the clutches of Davy Jones?" she finished in a deadly whisper. Ana Maria was speechless, standing between the wall and Tia. Jack stood next to Ana, carelessly tossing away Tia's worthless junk. "Aye, you wench," Tia finished. Ana glared at her and tugged on Jack's sleeve.

"Oh, did you find it?" he asked nonchalantly.

"I did." Tia nodded at Jack and went back to her box, taking out a bag of dusty, cracked marbles. She sat at a table and shook the bag, closing her eyes and saying, "Semita ut fatum est instituo hodie." Tia spilled the contents over the table, and one particularly large marble rolled over to a map and set itself in the middle of the ocean. "Your daughters are out sailing." Ana's mouth dropped open. "You have faith in me now, then, miss?" Tia asked. Ana Maria nodded her head. Tia then pointed to a word in bold print on the map. Hope and Mae were sailing somewhere in the Caribbean Sea, close to a port Jack and Ana Maria knew very well.


	11. A History of a Gun

Chapter Eleven: A History of a Gun

Hope jumped down from the tree and helped her sister up. The two girls tried to make a run for it, but Gomez and Smith grabbed them by their collars and dragged them to Wright.

"If it isn't the Sparrows," he spat. Mae and Hope struggled in the beefy pirates' tight grip. "Come on, men," Wright ordered. The two pirates followed Wright, dragging Mae and Hope in the process. They went aboard the ship and threw the sisters into the Captain's room without saying a word. Hope and Mae tried to find a way to escape. They got up and looked around. The room was slightly bigger than any cabin they had every seen. There were muskets and pistols hanging on the walls, and a giant fish was hung just on top of Wright's desk. There were a few bookcases and a shelf full of atlases and maps. To the side of the room was Wright's bed, a short, wide structure with a comfortable looking mattress and scratchy looking sheets. The doors rattled. Wright was coming. The girls had no choice but to take a seat on Wright's chairs. A minute later, the stubby pirate captain entered the room, carrying a tray of ale.

"Care for a drink?" he asked politely.

"We're thirteen and a half," Hope said.

"We're underage," Mae finished. They looked at him as he scowled, trying hard not to giggle.

"Very well then." Wright placed the drinks on the desk and poured a vast amount in his cup. Taking a swig, he sat down in his chair and smacked his lips together. "So, we meet again, Sparrows," he said with a smirk. Mae scowled, gripping her chair to prevent herself from lurching at Wright again. He cleared his throat after taking another gulp of ale. "So I understand that you have my pistol," he started. "My worthless, utterly useless pistol. If you'd just hand it over, I'll let you two run free. I'll let you off at the next port." He stared at the two with an uncanny grin on his face and his hands folded on his desk.

"We're not stupid, we know what it really does!" Hope stated. Wright made a face at them, as if challenging them to go on.

"It's the Pistol of Blackbeard," Mae said, matter-of-factly. Wright's eyes flashed, and for a second, the girls thought he was going to strike them. He rose suddenly, but then he slowly descended back into his seat. He laughed maniacally, but it was in a gentle way that made it was almost scary.

"Such smart little wenches, you are," Wright said lovingly. The girls noticed that his grammar had become increasingly better than before. "No matter. Since you already know about the pistol, then I guess I'm better off telling you now. When you two escaped the _Relentless, _my crew raided a French trading vessel. A man of very high government standards in France was aboard that ship, and so he offered me a position as a privateer. Obviously, I accepted." Wright took his letters of marque and showed them to Hope and Mae. "Now I wonder," he said. "How in blazes did you two survive?" Hope and Mae exchanged looks.

"Our father," they said in unison. "He saved us." Wright gave an evil laugh.

"You don't have a father," he said.

"Yes we do!" Mae shouted. "His name is Jack Sparrow, and he happens to-" the rest of her sentence was cut off by Hope.

"BE a good-for-nothing pirate?" Hope finished.

"Well… yeah," Mae admitted, regretting her earlier words.

"Is that so?" Wright asked. They nodded. "I must go on with my story then." He said with a smile. "This pistol," he started, "was the treasured possession of Mr. Edward Teach. He was the most feared man to ever sail the seven seas. His nickname was Blackbeard." There was a knock at the door. "Enter." Wright ordered. A skinny man entered the room carrying a tray with three platters of cooked crab legs. "Ah, thank you, Lefte." Wright said, taking the tray and placing a platter in front of the girls.

"Eat up," Lefte said with a smile, closing the cabin door behind him. Wright sat back down in his seat and unfolded his napkin, tucking it into the front of his shirt.

"That was Eugene Lefte, the ship's chef. His specialty is crab legs. Bon Appetite." Hope and Mae cracked the crab shells and politely started to eat, while Wright continued on with his story. "Anyways, Blackbeard received this pistol from his father, who got it from his father." As much as Wright's grammar had improved, his manners certainly hadn't- especially his eating habits. Crab juice was dripping down his face. "When Blackbeard had possession of the pistol at last, he found it had such great power." The juice would get caught in his beard and trickle down his chin. "Whatever he wished, the pistol would have it done." Ugh! And spoke with his mouth full! "That's how he became the most feared pirate ever." The way he ferociously attacked his meal would make a beast blush. "He'd capture fleets at a time." Was he raised by lions? "When he finally fell, I happened to come upon the ruins of his ship." The juice flowed like a river. "I ordered my men to search the ship for anything of value, and finally they brought upon me his pistol." Must he really chew with his mouth full? "At that time, I was a young captain, foolish and wild." The girls snorted.

"Have you ever considered taking protocol classes?" Hope remarked.

"Your manners are atrocious," Mae observed.

"Were you born in a bin?" Hope added. Wright ignored them and went on.

"I had no idea that it would hold such great power! While examining the pistol, one of my crew members dropped a whole trunk full of pieces of eight. I was so angry and without thinking, I pointed the pistol at him, and," Wright snapped hi messy hands, crab meat spilling from his mouth, "he was gone." It was silent for a moment before Wright continued. "Then when your mother was sixteen, she decided to join my crew. Stupid Ana Maria. She was clever enough to overthrow me. So one night, she decided to start a mutiny. If it weren't for my size and fencing training, she would have won. But she didn't, so I had her locked up in the brig." With every word, Wright became more and more animated, using his fat fingers to play out the scenes of the story. "Ana was small and skinny and I hadn't realized that without a guard, she could easily escape. So when Lefte went down the next day to bring her some stale bread and poisoned water, she had gone, and with her one of my long boats and the Pistol of Blackbeard." He gazed past the girls with a blank expression on his face. Then he clutched his eating utensils harder and slammed his fist on the table. "I spent the next fifteen years searching for Ana and that pistol! Every time she was just in my reach, she'd slip away! But finally, she sent her puny little daughters to return the pistol to me." Wright said, referring to Hope and Mae. "But you're exactly like the thieving wench. The day I found you, something drew me to that British man-of-war. That was a fool's errand, trying to overthrow a ship with a crew that big, but we somehow took over. When I boarded, I found you two huddled behind the cannons. I found the pistol, and then threw you two in the brig. Then you escaped and found your dear old dad. I've heard of Mr. Jack Sparrow. And now, I'm out to kill 'im!" There was a knock at the door again.

"Captain, we're approaching another British man-of-war!" a crew member shouted.

"Hoist the British flag, gents!" Wright cried. "We're in for quite an afternoon!" And with an evil snicker, he grabbed his coat and left the room, leaving the two Sparrows alone.


	12. Raid

Chapter Twelve: Raid

Hope and Mae slowly opened the door from Wright's cabin and slid out. They squeezed themselves in between a few barrels and watched as Lefte raised a British flag. A few pirates on deck were dressed as women, walking aimlessly with parasols over their heads, fans in their hands, and bonnets on their heads. The Captain and a few of his mates walked around in old British uniforms, trying to look as sophisticated as possible.

"What are they doing?" Mae asked.

The British man-of-war ship raised its flag and shot cannon to communicate with _The Relentless_. Wright's evil crew fired one back, one man waving from the crow's nest. The massive man-of-war was at least three times bigger than Wright's Brigantine. It probably held five times more men than he had as well. The pirates were crazy. They could never win against a navy ship! Hope gasped as reality sunk in.

"They're fooling them," she said in a deadly whisper.

The man-of-war sailed closer to _The Relentless_, its blue, red, and white flag flailing in the wind. Once the British ship was in range, Lefte quickly raised Wright's Jolly Roger, and the pirates tossed their bonnets, parasols, and fans into the water and fired everything they had at the ship. A few used grappling irons to draw the ships together. They scrambled onto the ship, screaming, wailing, and shouting vile words.

"Take what they have," Wright cried, standing on the upper deck with one hand over his cutlass. "No mercy." There were screams and cries as the pirates murdered innocent men. Hope and Mae shielded their eyes. Not a soul had gotten past the pirates that were blocking the way onto _The Relentless_. The smarter pirates used axes to cut down the sails, so the massive British ship lay dead in the water. Finally, the captain of the ship fired a loud pistol into the air. The massacre stopped for a brief moment.

"I surrender," he admitted lamely, dropping his weapon. The pirates cheered, firing their own pistols and clapping each other on the back. The two beefy pirates, Gomez and Smith, came up from the lower deck carrying a small treasure of African ivory and gold. Another pirate came up, rolling a barrel full of rum. The crew members of the British navy had either decided to join Wright, or otherwise had died for their country.

"Join," Gomez asked a teenage boy. "Or die?" he finished, revealing a blood stained ax. The boy spoke something in French, spitting at the feet of the muscular pirate. Gomez's eyes narrowed. "What'd you say, boy?" The boy bravely repeated his curse to the pirate, trying hard not to show the shakiness in his voice. Gomez threw the boy onto the deck. He looked up in fear as the huge man towered over him, attempting to backhand his cheek.

"Stop," Wright said. He grabbed Gomez's hand and forced it down. "Take him to the brig," he commanded. "Along with those two." He pointed to Hope and Mae, who were trying to escape _The Relentless_ once more. Smith grabbed them by the collar and threw them on the deck next to the boy. Gomez then grabbed them all by the hair and pulled them down into the crew's sleeping quarters, and then lower into a dark room. The familiar sight sent chills down Hope and Mae's back. Gomez threw them into an empty cell with tight bars and locked it up. He lit a candle and pointed at a small pack of rats, who were chewing the remains of some poor old soul who had perished in the cell adjacent to theirs.

"Have fun…" Gomez said, smiling odiously. He laughed manically as he closed the door behind him.

"I'm sorry," the teenage boy said. He gripped the bars and hung his head.

"You speak English?" Hope asked.

"Yes. Actually, I speak English, French, Spanish, and Dutch," the boy answered in a thick British accent.

"Sorry for what?" Mae questioned.

"I'm sorry because I got you two thrown in this dump here with me." The boy cocked his head. He had brown, curly hair and eyes as blue as the Caribbean waters. Freckles were sprinkled across his thin face and he towered over the girls by a whole half a foot.

"You did not!" Mae exclaimed. "We're here because of that no good, rotten, thieving pig, Paul Wright." Her sister nodded in agreement.

"But- If I hadn't yelled at his associate," said the boy, "then he wouldn't have told Gomez to throw me in the brig with you two."

"Forget it," Hope said with a wave of her hand. "We're all safe, and that's what matters." The three kids nodded.

"Forgive me for an improper introduction," the teenage boy said, "My name is Henry P. Squalor III." Henry stuck out a hand for the girls to shake. They took it gratefully, and politely curtsied.

"I'm Hope Sparrow," Hope announced.

"And I'm Mae Sparrow," Mae said with a smile.

"Holy cricket… don't tell me you're the children of Jack Sparrow?" Henry asked his eyes wide. The girls laughed.

"Unfortunately," they confessed. The sisters shared a nervous laugh.

"Jack is amazing!" Henry praised. "I've heard so much about him. He's a good man."

"But he's a pirate," Mae said.

"True, but I come from a noble family in Britain. That's why I'm too educated for my own good." The three kids shared another laugh. Hope and Mae found it easy to talk to Henry because he was so nice and down to earth, unlike the many boys that their mother tried to talk them into marrying. "I've always been so interested in pirates… uh… are you okay? You're staring at me. Is there something on my face?"

"Uh, no, it's just, uh, nothing." Mae blushed.

Hope giggled. "But Henry," she said, "Forgive me for asking, but isn't it rather nice living with so much money?"

"That's the problem," Henry answered. "We have too _much_ money. My brothers and sisters are really obnoxious. My father is a commodore, and he sent me on one of his ships to get some lessons as a sailor, so when I become a man in a few years, I would get my own ship to captain in the navy."

"Would you like that?" Hope asked him.

"More than anything!" Henry cried in exasperation. "Just not in the navy, you know?" He slipped his skinny arms through the bars of the jail and dangled them around. "Enough about me, what about you two?"

"We're trying to find our mother," Mae answered sadly after a small silence. "We just found my father, but we…" Mae stole a glance at Hope before continuing. "We had to leave."

"Really? Me as well," Henry said. "My only sister who wasn't toffee-nosed was kidnapped by pirates a few years ago. I've been trying to find her ever since. Poor Annabelle." There was a short silence after this, interrupted only by the sound of rats running along the floor and the creak of the ship as it rocked back and forth on top of the rocky sea. The three kids didn't dare sit down on the floor in fear that the rats would eat them alive. They leaned against the rusty metal bars for support, and then fell asleep.


	13. When All Hope is Abandoned

Chapter 13: When All Hope is Abandoned

"Wake up!" a scratchy voice called, jerking the three sleeping children awake. "Breakfast!" The voice reverberated through the half-empty room, lingering for a moment.

"What time is it?" Hope groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"I said breakfast, you twits, get up!" The voice belonged to the pirate named Rusty, who was standing in front of the cell door, balancing a jug of water and bread while fitting the keys through the keyhole. He turned it with a squeaky click, shoving the food and water into the cell. Henry caught it with difficulty, spilling a third of the water. He looked at Hope, who stared at Rusty with a blank expression, and then at Mae, who was moving around far too much. Something was up.

"Good morning, little ones," he said, patting Hope's cheek with a grimy hand.

"Disgusting," she said, wiping her cheek.

"You left us our meal, now leave," Mae said boldly.

Rusty scowled. "You little wench…" He left anyway, closing the cell so hard that the bars rattled and rust and dirt fell from the ceiling. He muttered to himself as he exited the room, the children listening hard to assure he was not coming back.

"Do you have it?" Hope asked excitedly.

"Bingo." Mae held up ring of rattling keys, smiling triumphantly. She quickly fit the keys into the lock, feeling the click between her fingers when it turned easily. All three pushed the cell door open and cheered in triumph. They crept to the door Rusty had used and pressed their ears to it. Silence. This was their big chance. Henry grabbed the knob and twisted it carefully, the door opening silently. They crept up to the main deck, where they found pirates lazily scattered around the boat. Wright was checking his charts and Lefte was snoozing on the railing.

"Look over there," Hope whispered, pointing to the long boats. "If we tip-toe over, maybe we can escape."

"Alright, but we have to be very quiet," Henry said.

"You think?!" Mae snapped, rolling here eyes. "I'll go first." She inaudibly made her way through a horde of sleeping pirates, stopping to call Hope and Henry over. A pirate rolled over and hugged her ankles. Hope's eyes got wide and Henry pulled her away from the rest of the pirates. Mae bent down and gently untangled his hands from her calves. All three children breathed a sigh of relief when he rolled over and hugged his other pirate mate. But just when they thought they were safe, Mae tripped over a muscular pirate with long, blonde tresses and plenty of facial hair. He roared angrily and brought himself to full height. Henry and Hope stood frozen behind a crate full of smelly fish.

"Um, hi," Mae said, wiggling her fingers at the man. "C-could I interest you in some…" She desperately felt around her pockets for something- anything- that could extend her life a least a minute longer. "Some… thimbles?" she finished weakly, holding her mother's thimble up to the light. "It's perfect for your mother! Y-you see, you put it on your finger like this…" Mae started backing up as the giant advanced on her. She demonstrated the use of a thimble, her fingers shaking and her hands moving about wildly. Then, she hit something. She gulped and looked up. About a dozen other pirates, all fully armed, stared back at her defiantly.

"I don't got a mother," The blonde pirate said, cracking his knuckles. His fist rose up and was about to collide into Mae's jaw when something smashed into her body and sent her flying onto the deck. Mae glanced at what had saved her and saw Henry sprawled on the floor next to her. The blonde pirate's fist had collided into a squat pirate's gut. The squat man kicked a man with one eye, who tackled a boy with a parrot on his shoulder, and the next thing Hope, Mae, and Henry knew they were in the midst of complete and total chaos.

"You little jackals!" An old pirate cried, raising his cane in the air.

"Oy, Grandpa, I got this one." The hefty pirate the trio recognized as Smith grinned at them wickedly, pushing the old man aside and beginning to roll his shoulders. With an odd battle cry, he charged at them with his cutlass.

"Split up!" Mae shrieked. Hope ducked under Smith's arm and Mae and Henry took off in opposite directions. Smith's cutlass hurtled into the main mast. With another one of his battle cries, the burly pirate took off in Mae's directions. Luckily she was small and swift, so she was out of sight in no time. Henry didn't have as much luck… He unsheathed his sword and engaged in battle, fending off the discourteous pirates. One ran at him full speed, brandishing his sword and flourishing it in the air. Henry stepped aside easily and the man fell off the railing of the boat and into the blue Caribbean waters.

"So sorry!" Henry said while leading two pirates into a hole leading to the Ship's basement. His sword clashed riotously with the men's twice his age and size.

"You barbarians!" he heard Wright cry with anger. He later emerged from the crowd, steaming and about ready to burst. "Where are you, Sparrow?!" he spat, pushing aside his crew. Mae also emerged from the crowd, although unseen, along with Hope. They grabbed Henry and ran toward the boats, steering clear of Wright's way. Suddenly, a shrill, sharp cry cut through the air.

"Mae!" Henry and Mae's heads whipped around only to find Hope being dragged off to who-knows-where with Wright's right hand men cuffing her hands together.

"Get them!" Wright said, pointing towards Mae and Henry. Instinctively, Mae ran towards her sister. Henry held her back with all his strength, pulling her towards the long boats.

"Mae, we have to go! They're after us!" he said.

"She's my sister! I can't live without her!" Mae shrieked, thrashing around outrageously. "Let me go, Henry!" She threw her head back and hit Henry's nose.

"Bloody hell!" As accurate as that phrase was, Henry still held onto Mae as tight as he could while he tried to stop his nose from bleeding. Nonetheless, he got Mae into the boat and released it from it's attachment to _The Relentless_. They rowed away, Mae sobbing softly as she drifted away from the only family she had left. It seemed that all Hope was abandoned now.

Jack tinkered away with his weapons in his cabin, disregarding Ana Maria, who was reading a book on his bed. He picked up the pistol he had recently inherited, checking for shots and gunpowder.

"You have got to be kidding me," he said, pulling the trigger carelessly. "This is a piece of junk!"

"Never underestimate the power of the pistol…" Ana Maria said lazily, turning a page in her book.

"Never underestimate blah, blah, blah," Jack mimicked. "Who uses words like that anyway?! I like to stick to 'dog' and 'intellectually'. Things like that." Ana Maria rolled her eyes.

"Hey…" she said, suddenly taking interest in Jack's compass. "What's going on?" The compass needle was spinning around frenziedly and glowing strangely as if it were about to burst. Jack eyed it for a second and looked at the pistol. His finger was still on the trigger. What if he… He took his finger off and the spinning stopped. He pressed it again, and this time it spun faster. There were inscriptions on the side of the compass when it glowed.

"The six chosen of the articles will amalgamate when brought to unison," Ana Maria read. "Let the privileged unleash the supremacy of…" Her face screwed up in concentration. "The writing stop-"

"The supremacy of Poseidon," Jack finished. "I've heard that before, where have I heard that?" He dropped the pistol and the inscription melted away.


	14. The Black Pearl

Chapter Fourteen: The Black Pearl

Mae wailed until she could wail no more. Of course, that meant she fell asleep in the small boar that Henry was forced to row alone. He hummed softly, continuing to row the boat onward. He had no idea where they were off to, let alone _where _they were. Suddenly, looming on the horizon was a massive ship with black sails. Henry had heard tales of _The Black Pearl_. It was captained by Jack Sparrow himself.

"Mae!" Henry said, shaking the girl awake. "Look!" The ship was coming their way. When Mae woke up and saw the she, she continued to look on darkly, her hands folded tightly in her lap. They reached the ship in minutes.

"Oy!" Henry called. "Er- Ahoy there?" he called unsurely. Sure enough, a rather tall, skinny pirate with seemingly one eye looked over the railing of the ship. He jumped, startled.

"Captain!" Ragetti cried. "I think it's Mae!" There was a deep cry and a man came running to the edge of the ship, but instead of stopping, he toppled right over the railing and with a yelp, he fell into the sea.

"I'm okay!" Captain Jack Sparrow said when he resurfaced. The little row boat made its way over to Jack and he climbed aboard, cradling his daughter. "Thank you, thank you!" he praised. Henry had said nothing, but felt ashamed that Jack still hadn't noticed his other daughter was missing.

"Jack, is it them?" Ana Maria cried, waving at them.

"Aye, love, it's them!" Jack cried back. Henry hung his head, unable to resist his feelings. A tear slipped down his cheek. Within a few minutes all the passengers that were on the little row boat were taken onto the ship. Ana Maria screeched when she saw her daughter. By this time, Mae had started crying, but she kept her eyes on her toes and walked solemnly as if someone had ripped out her soul, and then had threw her aside like a rag doll.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Ana Maria asked after giving Mae a bone-crushing hug. She bent down on both knees and held her daughter at arms length. Mae had started to sob. Ana swept Mae's hair from her face and made her look up. Jack suddenly realized what was missing. He opened his mouth to ask the dreaded question.

"W-where's Hope?" He looked around. Ana's eyes watered and her head dropped. She shook violently.

"N-no!" she screamed. "No, she's here, she's just below deck, she's still on the row boat, she- she's here. She's alive!" Ana looked up at Mae for an answer.

"She's alive, mummy, yes," Mae answered. "But… she's not here." Mae sobbed and wrapped her arms around her mother. Jack placed both of his hands on his family's shoulders and for the first time ever, he felt that he couldn't speak. He opened his mouth, but nothing came. Henry looked at the broken family and bravely stepped forward.

"Excuse me, sir," he said. "But and I know what happened to Hope." He fidgeted around. "She- she's with Wright," he stammered. "We couldn't save her, all the pirates were closing in on us, I'm sorry!" he pleaded. Jack nodded and rubbed Ana Maria's back.

"Gibbs," Jack said. "Take this young sailor below deck. Give him food and water. I'll be back." He gently helped Ana Maria and Mae up and walked them into his quarters. Ana Maria shook his grip off and led her daughter onto Jack's big bed. Mae understood immediately and pulled the covers back and climbed in. Ana fought back sobs as she tucked her daughter into bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"'Night, sweetheart," she said.

"Mummy, we have to find her!" Mae protested, fidgeting in the blankets. Ana Maria shushed her and kissed her forehead. Mae got up again, saying, "What if they kill her? Or-" Ana Maria pushed her back on the pillow.

"Hush, we'll settle it tomorrow," she said. Jack knocked on the door softly. Ana looked at him and motioned for him to come in. She pulled up two chairs and the two parents sat down and waited for their daughter to fall asleep. Ten minutes passed and Mae still lay in bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Jack?" she asked.

"Yes, love?" he replied.

"Sing me a song," she said.

"Okay…" Jack cleared his throat.

"_Yo, ho, yo, ho a pirates life for me!_

_Born on the sea by Annie and Me,_

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_

_Don't ever fear, we'll always be here, _

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_

_Thirteen long years of living in tears,_

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_

_We're sorry we lie; we hope you don't cry,_

_ Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_

_Yo, ho, yo, ho a pirates life for me!"_

Ana Maria suddenly had an idea. She licked her lips and sang:

"_Don't worry Mae, we'll find her one day,_

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_

_Don't fret little Hope, we'll sure you can cope,_

_Sleep tight me lassies, yo ho!_

_Yo, ho, yo, ho a pirates life for me!"_

When she finished, Mae was still half-awake, but Jack had fallen asleep on Ana Maria's thin shoulders. Ana forced herself not to laugh. _'Imagine that…_ _Jack Sparrow with a family of his own.' _She giggled lightly. Before she fell into a slight doze, without thinking, she said one thing that made Jack Sparrow smile in his pretend sleep.

"Goodnight, love."

Rain pitter-pattered on the windows. Mae peeped an eye open. For the past hour, she had been awake, listening to the conversation of her parents. They had gone outside, so she hadn't heard the last sentence about Hope. They were trying to navigate _The Relentless_ or something like that, but Jack asked Ana to go for a walk around the ship. Mae whipped off her covers and pulled on her coat and hat. She slipped out of Jack's cabin and closed the door quietly…

"Bloody-" There was a scream, and Mae ducked behind a huge barrel of salt, her hand clamped over Henry's mouth.

"Henry!" she whined. "Quiet!" She looked around to see if the coast was clear. _'Drat, it's Gibb- why does my hand feel wet?'_ "Ew, Henry, gross!" she half-yelled and whispered when she drew back her hand and wiped Henry's saliva off on his jacket.

"What are you doing?!" he asked. "Jack and Ana Maria said that you couldn't come out of the cabin!"

"I'm trying to find out what they're going to do with my sister," she answered impatiently, continuing to look for her parents. "Ah! There!" she exclaimed. She overturned a large barrel and hid under it, holding up the top and turning around it so that a little hole in the wood was to her eye. It was small, cramped, and the hole was 3 inches too low, but Mae didn't care. She had other things on her mind. She slid across deck, Henry following in her midst.

"What are you doing?!" he cried. "You're going to be in so much trouble!" he said. Ragetti passed by, not noticing the strange moving barrel.

"There's my mum!" Mae yelled. "Henry… Tie your shoe!" she ordered.

"But I don't have any ties on my-" His words were replaced with a yelp. "I mean, wow. What a knot!" he sat on the ground and pretended to tie his shoe while Mae spoke to him through the hole in the barrel.

"What'd you hit me for?" he asked.

"Talk to my mum and dad." She ordered, ignoring him.

"What?! Me?! Why?" he cried.

"Because you're obviously not me…" Mae said as if it _were_ the obvious.

"Fine, fine," he said. "Come on." He walked up to Jack and cleared his throat before taping him on the back. "M-morning, sir," he said.

"Aye…" Jack said, not turning around.

"Sorry, sir, but do you know anything on the whereabouts of Hope?" he asked. Ana Maria, who was with Jack, turned around. "Hope?" she tapped Jack's back and they stared at Henry.

"She is sailing near a port in the Caribbean. Wright's ship is planning an attacking _The Black Pearl."_

"Oh…" Henry said. "So… What's your plan of action?" Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Why?" He asked after a long pause. Henry looked startled.

"I j-just wanted to know," he said, leaning on the barrel Mae was under. Jack coughed.

"We're going to find Wright's ship and get our daughter and of course, Mae cannot come. Now if you will excuse me," Jack turned around and pretended to start back towards the upper deck.

"Hey, that is not fair!" Mae said. She pushed the barrel off of her and straightened up. "She's my family too! Henry, don't you think-" As she stood up, she came face to face with her mother. "Um… 'ello mum…"

"March!" Ana Maria ordered, pointing towards Jack's cabin.

"Actually, it's Mae," the little girl said, giggling slightly.


	15. Six Articles

Chapter Fifteen: Six Articles

Hope Sparrow stood alone in the rusty, wet cell aboard The Relentless, trying to stay awake. Her eyes dropped every second, along with her forehead, which was creased with tired wrinkles. Her weak, limp body struggled to stand tall. The door suddenly burst open, and in waltzed a big, burly pirate, whom Hope remembered as Gomez. He walked up to her cell and (without using his keys) ripped the cell door clean off. Hope shivered and followed when he motioned for her to step out. He bound her with a set of shackles, which were too tight.

"Ouch…" Hope mumbled.

"What was that, little girl?!" Gomez snapped in a dry voice.

"N-nothing!" Hope answered, taking a step back.

"Follow me."

Gomez led her up two flights of stairs and finally to the main deck, where Wright was talking to Lefte, his chef.

"Thanks, Gomez," Wright said flatly. He walked over to Hope and raised his eyebrows. "You lucky ducky," he said. "You get to stay on my ship." He laughed. "How misfortunate for your blasted pet, the other Sparrow, what was her name…" Wright snapped his fingers as if doing that would make him remember. "Marian, Muriel, Mark…"

"Mae," Hope sneered. Wright smiled.

"Mae…" he said. "So, you two think you know what that pistol of yours can do, eh?"

"I thought we already had this conversation," Hope said, her eyes following Wright as he moved around his cabin.

"Well, do you know anything about," he paused for a second. "The Six Articles?"

"Nope, don't know don't care," Hope said, a bored expression flickering across her face.

"Well, that's what I'm after."

"And we're discussing this why?"

"Because I need that pistol and your father's compass."

"Get your own!"

"I need that one in particular, stupid! It belongs to the one of the chosen. Once I have all six, the power will be mine!"

"What's the power?" Hope waited patiently for an answer, but there was none. Wright ignored her, and instead called upon his lackeys.

"What should we do with this fine bonnie lass?" He took a lock of her hair in his fingers and twirled it around. Hope tried to bite him. "Ah!" he yelped. "Feisty, are you?" he rubbed his hands. "This time, you walk the plank and you die for sure!" His crew shouted with pleasure. Gomez and Smith took out the plank and slipped it in place. Lefte removed her shackles and rebound her hands with a cloth.

"We need these," he said, dangling them in the air and slipping them into his pocket. While he tied and retied her hands, he muttered a story of how Wright got the shackles in the first place. Hope paid no attention. She feared for her life, and more importantly, the thought of her mother. They would never see each other again. She snapped into reality when her vision was blinded.

"Hey!" she protested.

"What?" Lefte asked, stopping in the middle of his story.

"What are you doing?!" Hope continued. Lefte snickered spitefully.

"So, then the cap snuck into the bar…" he continued. Hope frowned. He continued to tie the blindfold. Once he was done, he pushed her onto the plank.

"Bloody pirates," Hope muttered. Wright's crew threw various things at her and pelted her with insults. She took a deep breath.

Mae let out an angry breath. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her face straight.

"Mum, if Henry can go, why can't I?!" she huffed. Ana Maria stuffed a pistol into her pocket and sheathed a sword.

"Because, Mae, Henry is older and wiser than you," she replied. She bustled around the room, finding things that she would need for the arrival. In a few minutes, they would approach _The Relentless_ and board, save Hope, and leave. If they were lucky, they could arrest Wright and some of his cruel members and drop them off at the next port.

"Ana, pass me my compass, would you?" Jack asked form the other side of the room.

"Catch," she said, throwing Jack his prized possession.

"Oy!" he cried. "Don't handle my things like that." Ana chuckled.

"Mum, are you even _listening?_" Mae asked.

"What?" Ana asked absentmindedly. Mae rolled her eyes.

"Forget it. The boat's just on fire," Mae joked.

"Mhmm, that's lovely dear," she replied. Mae sat on Jack's table and munched on an apple, counting the seconds before her mother finally digested her words.

"What?!" she and Jack's cried in unison.

"Took you long enough," Mae said, hopping down from the table and walking outside with her apple. When she was sure her parents weren't watching her, she threw her half-finished apple overboard and rushed below deck, wiping her hands on her pants. She walked down the dark hallway and knocked on Henry's cabin door. It opened quickly.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"No, but I'm going," Mae said.

"I thought you weren't the type of person to sneak out?" he interrogated, lifting his sword and reviewing proper footwork.

"Yeah, but this is different. This is my sister we're talking about," Mae replied. She sat down on Henry's hammock.

"All hands on deck!" A shrill cry from Jack resounded through the hallway and entered the cabin. There was a slight pause before men from all directions filled the hallway and came up to the main deck. Mae followed unnoticed, slipping through pirates and dodging from sight. When she made it onto the main deck, she looked for her parents. They were about to make commands, standing on the poop deck and discussing quietly with Gibbs, Will, and Elizabeth. Jack cleared his throat.

"My fellow comrades," he started. "Today we journey-" there was a spluttering cough as Ana Maria punched Jack in the stomach. He doubled over in pain.

"In a few hours, we're going to save my daughter, Hope," she continued for him. "We have spotted _The Relentless_ quite a few times and we have an idea of where she's off to. Our plan of action: Take Hope and leave. If we're lucky, we'll take Wright."

Jack came back up, clutching his stomach.

"Orders!" he shouted with all the strength he could muster. "The Sapphire is our backup, so they will follow behind us. My devilishly handsome self will lead my crew onto Wright's ship." There was a silence. Ana Maria punched Jack again, causing him to cough. "_Ana Maria_ and _I_ will lead you. Savvy?"

"Aye!" the crew replied. Jack motioned for them to shoo away and everyone went back to their duties.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Ana Maria asked Elizabeth.

"I've been in way more dangerous situations, Ana," Elizabeth protested, using a string to tie her hair. She had abandoned her dress long ago, and used baggy pants and a flimsy shirt for her attire. Will patted her shoulders.

"She'll be fine," he said, smiling at Ana. Jack checked his compass.

"We should be heading in… a… that…sort of way," He pointed to North West, which is exactly where their route was going. Ana Maria took the wheel and Elizabeth and Will prepared the weapons. The sun slowly dipped below the sea and the temperatures dropped slightly. A breeze flew through the air, warning Jack Sparrow and his crew of the dangers ahead.

The pirates aboard _The Relentless_ continued to jeer at Hope, who could feel the Caribbean winds surround her as time went on. She had been standing on the plank for a long time, though how long she did not know. "Plank, plank, plank, plank!" they taunted. Hope stepped closer to the edge. She walked along the plank cautiously, until one pirate stomped on the wooden board and Hope lost her footing.

"Ugh, I hate that sound," Mae said as she and Henry made their way into the gun deck, right below the main deck. She fake shivered and continued to lead the way. When Jack and Ana Maria were speaking to the crew, Henry and Mae stole another one of Jack's row boats and reached _The Relentless_ unnoticed. From a distance, they spotted Hope walking the plank again. They didn't have much time to save her. Henry mentioned how you could stand right under the plank from the gun deck and watch as the person fell into the water. They pushed a cannon out the little window as far as it would go. Henry was brave enough to balance on the cannon and catch Hope when she fell.

"Save her, please," Mae pleaded. There was a wobbling sound of wood and a shriek before Hope fell. She might as well have fallen from the sky because it so sudden that Henry almost missed her- but he didn't. He grabbed her shirt and pulled her atop the cannon with him.


	16. The Last Battle

Chapter Sixteen: The Last Battle

"Where's the splash!?" Wright cried. A few pirates looked overboard. The little girl was no where in sight.

"Cap'n, look!" Lefte pointed at a big black mass heading their way.

"Man your stations! Run!" Wright cried. His crew ran around, trying to get the sails up and lift the anchor.

"It looks like _The Black Pearl!_" A crew member shouted. In realization, Wright stopped in his tracks on the way to the wheel. He looked back at _The Pearl_ and smiled an evil and malicious grin.

"STOP!" he shouted. The air was still. "Jack Sparrow has come to pay me a visit. A visit he shall get." He smirked and walked back onto the main deck, where he planned to greet his guests accordingly. He placed a hand on his sword in preparation, eyes narrowed into tiny slits.

Jack Sparrow and his crew awaited their arrival. They were to catch up with Wright's ship and climb aboard.

"Well this is easy," Jack commented. He steered the wheel calmly.

"Well maybe it's because they've just stopped moving!" Ana Maria snapped. She descended to the main deck to get a better view.

"She digs me," Jack defended. Will rolled his eyes.

"How're you feeling?" he asked Elizabeth. Elizabeth nodded nervously. She hadn't practiced her swordsmanship in quite a few years.

"A little nervous," she admitted. Will gave her a comforting smile.

"You'll be fine," he said. "After all, I taught you." Elizabeth laughed.

"And you thought that helped?" she retorted playfully.

"Oi, oi, oi," Jack interrupted. "Enough flirting, we've reached range of Wright's ship."

Will and Elizabeth looked up from their conversation and saw that their ship had become exceedingly closer to _The Relentless._ Ana Maria came back onto the poop deck carrying grappling irons and rope. She passed them out.

"This can help us board," she commented. She noticed that Wright and his crew were calm, like they had waited for their arrival. "Something's not right."

"Alright, gents!" Jack shouted. "I say, we board the ship, and make as much noise as you can!" The crew of _The Black Pearl_ boarded Wright's ship, screaming, throwing things, and cursing. However, Wright's crew seemed unmoving. Jack swung from a rope and onto the main mast, where he slid down the rest of the way.

"Guess that didn't work," he murmured. "My fellow friends, foes, crewmembers, and loves," he winked at Ana Maria, who rolled her eyes. "Etcetera, etcetera, I have come to take my daughter and then I will be off, so if you will excuse me-" Wright's crew took a step in front of Jack. "There's two ways we can handle this, the easy way," Jack paused. "Or the hard way." The crew took another intimidating step. Jack stepped behind Ana Maria. "Take it away, doll."

"Wright!" she called bravely. "I want my daughter, and I'm not leaving without her!"

"Well I guess you won't be leavin', then?" he said, emerging from the crowd of pirates. "How are you, dear?" he asked Ana Maria, opening his arms in a wide hug. Ana Maria pretended to gag.

"Where's Hope?" she asked.

"Mini Sparrow? Didn't like it here much, so she jumped ship," he said. Ana Maria's face turned blue. Jack paled. Wright stepped uncomfortably closer to Ana Maria. "We suffered without you, you know." Jack fingered his pistol angrily. "We missed you." Wright began to raise a finger towards Ana Maria's cheek.

"What in the bloody blazes do you think you're doing?!" Jack bellowed, pointing his pistol at Wright. Wright recognized the golden patterns and silver inscriptions immediately. Ana Maria's eyes opened wide. She quickly pushed the Pistol of Blackbeard aside.

"He didn't mean that, did you, _Captain?"_ she hinted. Jack huffed and stored his pistol away. He muttered an apology. Wright laughed.

"Sparrow, you're a funny man," Wright said. "You _really _think this wench likes you?" Jack fingered his pistol again.

"Don't you start," he warned.

"After all you've done, do you think she'd actually stay with you?" Wright taunted. "Most importantly- do you think that after all you've done for her she'd let your little _piggies_ sail away with you?" Jack looked at Ana Maria, who turned her head away in shame. He looked back at Wright. "Aww," he _tsked_. "Poor, poor Sparrow. So gullible."

"That's not what we came here to discuss," he said calmly. His eyes had taken a sudden interest on Wright's disgusting deck floors. "Where's Hope?" he asked.

"I told you already," Wright said, grabbing Ana Maria and swinging an arm around her shoulders. "She jumped ship." Jack clutched his pistol. Suddenly, a loud bang went off and one of Wright's crew members fell from the crow's nest and landed in the water with a splash. Everyone looked at Jack. Even though his pistol was pointing downwards, smoke rose from the tip. The acrid scent burned his eyes. Jack tried to catch Ana's eye, but she refused to look at his face. Jack Sparrow took action.

"I've come here for what I've been looking for," he aimed his pistol at Wright. "I don't think you're gonna stop me." Wright pushed Ana Maria away and withdrew his sword.

"I know one thing that can," he dared. At once, Jack and Wright clashed swords. Jack managed to shake off Wright a few times, but Wright cornered him and threw him on the ground. Jack's sword was now no where in sight, and his loyal crewmembers had suddenly became busy with Wright's crew.

"This is for stealing Ana Maria," Wright said, placing his cutlass on Jack's throat. Ana Maria ripped him off of Jack and he fell onto the deck with a thud.

"That's for putting your arm around me," she said. "Here." She threw Jack his sword.

"What was that for? I thought I was a stupid, annoying twit," he said in a falsetto voice.

"You are!" Ana Maria replied, blocking a huge blow from a pirate. "But you're family, eh?"

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Will had somehow come face to face with Wright.

"Wright!" Elizabeth said.

"Right?" Will asked.

"No, Left!"

"Lefte?"

"No, go left to Wright!" Elizabeth panicked.

"What?!"

"Just kill people."

Men were falling left and right when Mae, Hope, Henry, and Annabelle finally returned to the main deck.

"What the-" Henry started.

"Oi! It's those kids! After them!" Gomez cried. The children had no choice but to split up. Hope and Mae ran towards the main mast. They spotted their mother. A vulgar pirate had her cornered against the railing of the ship.

"Jack!" she gasped as the man's grip around her neck tightened.

"Hope!" Mae cried, turning a barrel on its side so that it could be rolled. With their strength combined, Hope and Mae pushed the barrel hard enough so that the pirate that was strangling their mother fell to the ground in a heap.

"What are you doing?!" Ana Maria shouted to them as she kicked the man unconscious.

"Saving your life!" They cried in unison. Ana Maria went up to her daughters and gave them a bone crushing hug.

"I told you to stay on the ship!" she scolded Mae.

"Figures you wouldn't have noticed," Mae muttered.

"What was that?" Ana Maria asked.

"Nothing, mother," They both said.

"Alright, I want you two to get Gibbs and have him take you two back to the ship, got it?!" she said stiffly.

"Aye, aye, sir!" they joked.

"Hurry," she said.

They scurried away, dodging pirates and flying objects. Once they found Gibbs, all three of them headed towards _The Black Pearl._

"STOP!" Wright screeched. Everyone was in the midst of doing something, but silence washed over the deck quickly. Jack and Wright were in the middle of the deck, both pointing pistols at each other.

"Dad!" Mae cried.

"This is it, Jack Sparrow," Wright said. "Your life ends now."

"Not yet," a voice said, making everyone gasp. Gibbs pointed his pistol at Wright. Wright smiled devilishly and started to pull the trigger. At the very last minute, the evil pirate pointed the pistol at the autonomous woman standing by Jack Sparrow. He pulled the trigger, grinning maliciously. The sound of the gun went off with a resounding bang and a female cry sliced through the atmosphere. Ana Maria fell to the ground in a heap.


	17. The Beginning of and End

Chapter Seventeen: The Beginning of an End

Ana Maria was sprawled on the floor in a heap.

"You monster," Hope cried. She jumped onto Wright, but surprisingly, he fell to the ground. Shocked, she quickly stood up and observed the Captain. His eyes were open wide in shock and his hand was clutching his heart.

Captain Paul Wright was dead.

Everyone looked at Gibbs. His hands were shaking and his brow was dripping with sweat. In his hand was his pistol, smoking and empty. There was a moan of pain. Jack whipped her head around and looked at Ana Maria. Hope and Mae were already at her side. They sobbed as Jack laid her down.

"Jack!" Ana said, giving his hand a tight squeeze.

Mae and Hope clutched each other, their hearts filled with dread.

"Mum, don't leave," Mae said.

"Who said I was going anywhere?" she mumbled. Jack said nothing, still holding her hand and gazing down at her silently. Suddenly, she went limp. Before anyone could panic, Cotton materialized out of the crowd with a case of first-aid materials. Everyone watched noiselessly as he checked her injury. He stood up with a smile on his face.

"She lives!" his parrot announced.

Hope put down her spyglass.

"We're home," she said happily. Ana Maria smiled when the little island came into view.

"Tortuga!" Mae sang happily, clapping her hands.

Jack looked away from his family sadly. Will frowned.

"Anything wrong?" he asked. Jack shook his head.

"Nothing in particular," he replied, looking away. _The Black Pearl_ docked within the next hour and the crew immediately walked into town. Hope and Mae held Jack's hands, guiding him through their part of town. Henry followed behind, listening to Ana Maria tell stories about each section of town. By the end of the day, Jack's crew was ready to leave. Hope, Mae, and Ana Maria stood at the dock, ready to say goodbye.

"Mae," Henry said. Mae was surprised. "It was an honor to meet you." Jack glared daggers at Henry as he leaned in…

"Boy, you better keep your fingers off my daughter!" Jack warned. Henry jumped, startled.

"S-sorry, sir," he apologized. Mae glared at Jack, and gave her mother a pleading look.

"Come on, Jack, I think Elizabeth is calling us," Ana said. She pulled Jack towards Will and Elizabeth, Hope pushing him from behind.

"Who's Elizabeth? I don't know an Elizabeth! Get me- let go- ARGH!"

"Thanks for all your help," Mae said, ignoring her father. Henry hesitantly leaned in and kissed Mae on the cheek.

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. He left and met up with Will, who was on the ship and had seen everything. He winked at Mae and ruffled Henry's hair.

"Mae!" Hope cried, jumping on her sister and nearly knocking her over. "That was brilliant!" they squealed. Jack walked up slowly behind Mae and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"No more boys," he said. Ana Maria kissed Hope and Mae on the forehead.

"Come on, Jack, they're growing up," she said.

"So, father, are you staying with us in Tortuga?" Hope asked.

"Don't be silly, love," Ana Maria said. "He's got a crew to captain."

"Well, I was thinking that maybe you two could come and sail with me on my ship," Jack said.

"You're kidding, right?" Ana Maria said, taking Mae out of his grasp.

"No, I think it would be fun, right girls?"

"Yeah!" they answered.

"You're not taking them," Ana said.

"Why not?" Jack snatched Hope.

"Because they're my daughters, let her go!" Ana Maria's voice grew louder.

"They're mine too! Why don't you just take Mae, and I'll take Hope!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

"No!" Hope and Mae retorted. They struggled to escape their angry parents' grasp, but it was not use. They were being carried farther and farther away. Then, there was a screech of pain as Hope kicked Jack where it hurt really badly, and Mae threw her head back and hit Ana Maria on the chin. Both parents released their grip and Hope and Mae took this chance to run away and hide behind Gibbs, their new godfather. Ana and Jack regained their composure.

"We're not going to be separated," Mae said.

"You're right," Jack said softly. "The sea is too dangerous. I must leave you here." The girls came out of their hiding spot and faced their father. They embraced him tightly, silent tears grazing their cheeks.

Ana Maria walked over to her family.

"Thank you, Jack," she said, taking her daughters. Suddenly, Jack did something unexpected- he leaned in and kissed Ana Maria.

"Ew," Mae and Hope commented. Gibbs laughed and Will and Elizabeth smiled.

"Goodbye, my family. This is the day that you will always remember as the day that you almost lost Captain Jack Sparrow," he kidded. He walked back up the plank and waved goodbye to his family. The ship departed from the dock, and Hope and Mae watched as their father sailed away from them. Back on _The Black Pearl_, Jack positioned himself at the wheel. It felt good to have control of his ship again. He took out his new pistol and watched as his compass spun around. He pointed it out to sea and closed his eyes, silently wishing.

"Cap'n," he heard Gibbs say. "I think you might want to open your eyes…" Jack smiled and let his eyelids flutter open, only to be greeted by exactly what he wished for. A tall, 50 foot wave towered over _The Black Pearl_, excitingly waiting to crash down on them all. Jack took hold of the wheel again and caressed the smooth, hard wood. With no intention whatsoever, but to follow his heart, Jack readied his crew to ride out the wave. He fixed his hat and brushed off his coat, saying,

"I feel an adventure coming on."


End file.
